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Knaresborough’s Riverside Cafe owners bid farewell after 13 years

The owners of Knaresborough’s Riverside Cafe have sold the business after 13 years.

The independent cafe, situated under cliffs alongside the River Nidd on Waterside, is a favourite haunt for numerous tourists and cyclists, as well as local people.

Partners Phil Smith and Tim O’Hara will serve their last coffee and cake as owners tomorrow before Michael and Louise Bland, who own Vivido Bar and Restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent in Harrogate, take over.

The cafe is expected to close for a week before reopening, with the previous owners helping out for a short period.

Mr Smith said it felt like the right time to go, adding:

“We had no experience in catering when we took over but we have worked hard and learned by our mistakes to make it a successful business.

“It’s a beautiful place to work, overlooking the viaduct, and we have made lifelong friends.

“But it’s grown and grown and has become a bit of a monster.”

Mr Smith said regular customers from Wakefield, York and Lincoln were due to visit today to bid farewell and he expected tomorrow to be emotional.

But he said Mr and Mrs Bland would “breathe new life” into the business and he and Mr O’Hara would support them before taking life easier. The six staff will stay on under the new owners.

Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said she and her husband had been friends with Mr Smith and Mr O’Hara for years and they “fell in love with the place” when they visited and later jokingly said they would like first refusal if the cafe ever came up for sale.

Vivido celebrated its fourth anniversary last week and Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said the Italian and Mediterranean venue was now running well and she and her husband were excited by the prospect of operating daytime and nighttime businesses.

She said she hoped to reopen the cafe next week but no date has yet been finalised. Ms Bland said:

“It’s a successful business so the plan is not to change too much. We need to have a little time to see how things work and we will only change things if we feel it can be improved.”

Harrogate district CCTV control room not manned due to staff shortages

A control room monitoring more than 200 CCTV cameras in the Harrogate district has not been manned at times over the last year due to staff shortages.

The control room, run by Harrogate Borough Council, oversees cameras operating 24 hours a day in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough.

Control room staff are able to respond to police reports and track suspicious activity. Police can buy the footage to use as evidence in pursuing crimes.

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at the council, was asked by Councillor Victoria Oldham at a meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny commission this week whether the room needed to be staffed.

Ms Stack replied the priority was to “man that service for 24 hours a day”, adding:

“I will be honest,. We have had some challenging issues in terms of recruitment within the last 12 months so there have been times when we have been unable to have the staff there but the cameras will be recording.”

Ms Stack added the team was now “almost at full complement of staff”.

Cllr Oldham, a Conservative who represents Washburn, replied:

“I’m aware of two incidents last week when it wasn’t manned and one of them could have been very embarrassing.”

Julia Stack speaking at the meeting

Ms Stack said the service worked closely with police but added:

“There’s always the risk we may be dealing with one location and there may be something happening in another one. That is down unfortunately to consistent funding cuts to the service.”

The long-term future of the service when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished at the end of this month and North Yorkshire Council takes over is unclear.

Scarborough and Northallerton also have CCTV control rooms in the county and Ms Stack the service overall was inconsistent and would be reviewed.

Cllr Windass speaking at the meeting

Councillor Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge, said Boroughbridge had been “kicked out” of Harrogate Borough Council’s CCTV monitoring system years ago.

Cllr Windass said Boroughbridge Town Council now provided CCTV and, unlike Harrogate Borough Council, did not charge the police for accessing it. He said:

“If the police request footage for any crimes there is absolutely no charge because we consider it a valuable service we should provide and support to the police.”

Cllr Mike Chambers, the Conservative Cabinet member for housing and safer communities, replied:

“I agree it is a service that is valuable to the police. But we have a control room that has staff. If we don’t levy charges as many other departments within this council do then how do we pay for the staff?”

CCTV overlooking Harrogate’s Royal Hall

‘Limited resources’

After the meeting, the Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council about the control room staff situation and what will happen to the service when the council is abolished in four weeks.

A council spokesperson said:

“Our CCTV control room is in Harrogate and has five operators and one CCTV and business crime operations officer, as well as a small pool of casual staff who work alongside full-time officers, who are responsible for surveillance of cameras covering Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and council buildings.

“They also undertake reviews and produce evidence for the police and other third parties, operate a RadioLink service and support a business crime partnership.

“Like ourselves, North Yorkshire Police have limited resources and even if the control room report an incident to the police, there is no guarantee that they are always in a position to respond straight away. Therefore, we ensure cameras record 24-hours a day, 365 days a year so that our staff can aim to get the best evidence to assist with any incidents.

“Closures are kept to a minimum and shifts are extended with staff work overtime to ensure sufficient support for the CCTV control room.

“In recent months, we have seen a limited number of applicants to the roles available. And once appointed, each post is subject to police vetting which takes times to be thoroughly carried out, followed by a two-month training period.

“However, we can confirm that two new appointments have recently been made.

“From 1 April there will be no change to the service.”

New names revealed for top hotels in Harrogate and Ripon

The owners of the St George Hotel in Harrogate and the Spa Hotel in Ripon have confirmed the venues will be given new names and branding.

The properties, which are being refurbished, will be renamed The Harrogate Inn and The Ripon Inn.

The Harrogate Inn is due to re-open in early summer with 96 rooms — six more than previously. The Ripon Inn is expected to reopen in midsummer with 58 rooms — 15 more than previously.

The Harrogate Inn

The two hotels have also been given new coats of arms.

The new identities reflect the brand style of owners the Inn Collection Group, a Newcastle-based company that has historic venues across the north.

Inn Collection Group venues serve food and drink all day and are styled as pubs with rooms rather than hotels.

Its other venues include Knaresborough’s Dower House, which has been renamed The Knaresborough Inn.

Zoe Cooper, marketing manager for the Inn Collection Group, said:

“As with the new names we have unveiled for other sites recently, including The Knaresborough Inn, we have looked to embrace the history of the wider area and we hope the new look will create a talking point that serves as a link to the past while the site embarks on an exciting future.

“With both sites we have adopted the name of the locale for the property, which allows us to introduce its setting more easily for potential visitors who may be considering a stay, allowing them to look further into what all these fantastic places have to offer.”

The Ripon Inn

The refurbished guest accommodation at The Ripon Inn will provide a mix of double, twin and family bedrooms, accessible rooms, suites, and dog friendly rooms.

It will have an additional 15 en-suite rooms and the reconfigurated ground floor area will include a new bar and kitchen area.

The Harrogate Inn will see six new bedrooms added on the ground floor and a “complete transformation of the venue’s hospitality spaces”, according to the owners.

Coats of arms

The Ripon Inn, set in six acres of gardens, has been closed to guests since July 2020 for extensive internal and external works.

Its new coat of arms is made up of a shield flanked by a pair of stags, linking to the historical coat of arms of the Earl and Marquess or Ripon.

The left half of the shield contains a representation of the Ripon horn in recognition of the history of the city’s wakemen and hornblowers.

Sitting on a red background — a colour scheme and motif that appear in the city’s coat of arms – this is combined with a yellow chevron which is again informed by the Earl and Marquess of Ripon’s heraldry.

The right-hand side of the shield features a stylised illustration of the grade one listed Ripon Cathedral and its early English gothic west front, dating back to 1220 and regarded as one of the best examples of its type.

The Harrogate Inn closed in January for a 16-week refurbishment.

Its coat of arms sees the left half of the shield contain a red and white asymmetrical crossed pattern taken from the town’s original coat of arms, together with the white rose of Yorkshire.

The right-hand side of the shield features a lion ‘passant’ taken from the borough council’s arms, and this is bounded top and bottom by repeating wavy lines to represent the importance of springs in the town’s history.

Supporting the shield are a pair of griffins taken from the crest of the Slingsby family, who were instrumental in bringing prosperity to the town through Sir William Slingsby and his discovered of the first spring in Harrogate, the Tewitt Well, over three hundred years ago.

Aldi names Harrogate as ‘priority location’ for new store

Aldi has included Harrogate on a list of 30 priority locations for new supermarkets.

The German giant wants to increase its number of UK stores from 990 to 1,200. It currently has supermarkets in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough in the Harrogate district.

The company said in a press release today it “plans to invest more than £400 million in store development over the coming year” and published a list of 30 priority locations.

Harrogate and Scarborough were the only two North Yorkshire locations on the list.

Aldi already has a store on Oak Beck Road in Harrogate, close to the site where Tesco has planning permission to build a supermarket.

The company offers a finder’s fee for agents who recommend a site, which is either 1.5% of a freehold price or 10% of the first year’s rent for leasehold sites.

It is looking for freehold town-centre or edge-of-town sites that are around 1.5 acres and can accommodate a 20,000 sq foot store with about 100 parking spaces.

Giles Hurley, chief executive at Aldi UK, said:

“Demand for Aldi has never been higher here are still some towns and areas that either don’t have access to an Aldi or have capacity for additional stores.”

Harrogate was also included in a list of desired locations by Aldi last year.

Police arrest wanted Harrogate man

Police have arrested a wanted Harrogate man.

Officers issued an appeal for the whereabouts of a 30-year-old man, who was believed to be in either the Harrogate or Knaresborough area.

The force has since confirmed that he has been arrested in the Blackpool area on suspicion of offences connected to a serious assault.

MPs Watch: Ukraine, Kex Gill and sewage

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In February, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made a speech to MPs in the lead up to the first anniversary of the war with Russia. Major decisions were made on Kex Gill and Ripon Barracks. Meanwhile, concern was once again raised about sewage into rivers.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

On February 3, Andrew Jones visited Windsor House in Harrogate, which recently has undergone refurbishment.
Mr Jones wrote to North Yorkshire Police chief constable, Lisa Winward, following a crash on Yew Tree Lane which saw two teenagers seriously injured. He called for traffic calming measures in the Pannal Ash area.
He called for a debate in Parliament over access to grassroots sport after meeting with the Football Foundation and Pannal Ash Junior Football Club.
Mr Jones urged greater cooperation between developers on February 10 after residents raised concerns over unfinished road surfaces, poor drainage and inadequate street lighting on new estates.
On February 16, Mr Jones described criticism of his voting record on sewage as “ridiculous”. His comments came as concern was raised over the overflow of sewage into rivers.
On February 27, Mr Jones asked ministers in the House of Commons what more could be done to remove barriers for adults deciding to restudy and update their skills.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith met with teachers from the UK parliament teacher ambassador programme on February 3.
On February 8, Mr Smith attended a talk in Westminster Hall speech by Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mr Smith described him as “the ultimate war leader”.
On the same day, Mr Smith published a letter from the Ministry of Defence confirming that Claro Barracks in Ripon will remain operational until later 2026. Part of the barracks are subject to planning permission for new housing.
Mr Smith made one spoken contribution in the House of Commons in February on the Northern Ireland protocol. He paid tribute to John Caldwell who was shot in Omagh.
On February 23, Mr Smith welcomed the government’s decision to approve a final business case for the A59 Kex Gill realignment.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

On February 7, Mr Adams described the appointment of Lee Anderson MP as the new Conservative Party chairman as a “clever appointment” by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Mr Adams tweeted on February 8 that planes should be supplied to Ukraine after a speech by President Zelenskyy
Mr Adams posted no new updates on his website in February.
He made no spoken contributions in the House of Commons during February.

Knaresborough town crier Roger Hewitt to retire

Knaresborough town crier Roger Hewitt is to retire at the end of May after eight years of service to the town.

Former teacher Mr Hewitt, who has lived in Knaresborough for 46 years, is part of a lineage dating back to 1680. He will be involved in the selection for his replacement, and with any induction required.

Business group Knaresborough & District Chamber will be running a contest to find a successor at Knaresborough Community Festival on April 22 at Meadowside Academy primary school.

Chamber member Charlotte Gale said:

“Roger has been an exemplary town crier and is a hugely popular and recognisable figure in the town.

“For the past eight years his regular and often witty cries have kept townsfolk informed about all the latest Knaresborough news and he has also opened countless town events and welcomed many new businesses to the town.

“Everyone at chamber would like to extend a huge thank you to Roger for eight years of dedication to the role and wish him well in his retirement.”

Pic: Charlotte Gale

A chamber statement said Rawden Kerr, from the The Loyal Company of Town Criers, would support the search to find a successor “to make sure we do things in the right way”. It added:

“If you think you, or someone you know, could step into Roger’s shoes then please get in touch with us at the chamber, e-mail address hello@knaresboroughchamber.org.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems call for government to step in on energy bills

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have called for the government to cancel plans for a hike in the average household energy bill from April.

The call comes as the energy price cap is set to reduce from £4,279 to £3,280, but bills are still expected to rise by £500 to an average of £3,000 a year.

The government’s own energy price guarantee is expected to be less generous and a £400 winter discount is set to end.

Local Lib Dems have called on ministers to step in and offer a new support package for businesses, leisure centres, schools and hospitals across Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“The Conservatives’ plan to hike energy bills in April will come as a hammer blow to families in Harrogate and Knaresborough already struggling with soaring mortgages and rents, shopping bills and tax rises.

“With no plan to deal with this cost of living crisis for people or businesses, this chaotic, out-of-touch Government is instead making it much worse because they just don’t get it.

“People need real support and that’s what the Liberal Democrats are calling for. Sadly, to add insult to injury Rishi Sunak is happy for energy bosses to rake in millions of pounds in bonanza bonuses, while families struggle to put food on the table or heat their homes.”

The Lib Dems claim its plans would mean that in Harrogate and Knaresborough the average household would be £522.94 better off and would be funded by raising the rate of the windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas firms from 35% to 40%.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told the BBC this month that he believed the government did not have the “headroom to make a major new initiative to help people”.

Speaking after the latest setting of the energy price cap, Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said:

“Although wholesale prices have fallen, the price cap has not yet fallen below the planned level of the energy price guarantee.

“This means, that on current policy, bills will rise again in April. I know that, for many households this news will be deeply concerning.”

The Stray Ferret approached Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, for comment.

Teachers in Harrogate district set to strike for second time

Teachers in the Harrogate district are set to go on strike tomorrow.

Members of the National Education Union will walk out on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The union argues a 5% pay rise in 2022 was insufficient to combat the impact of inflation at 10%, leaving many teachers effectively facing a pay cut.

The move will affect education across the district, with some pupils taking lessons remotely.

How Harrogate district schools are affected

Harrogate Grammar School pupils in years 10, 11 and 13 will be asked to attend school as normal.

However, those in years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will take lessons remotely where a teacher is not on strike.

Meanwhile, St Aidan’s Church of England High School has told parents it will “endeavour to provide their usual suite of lessons” for those who are required to attend school.

Years 8, 10 and 11 have been told they should take lessons at home, while years 7 and 9 should attend as normal.

The school has told year 12 pupils that while they are not “obliged to attend school”, a study area will be provided if they notify school that they wish to attend.

In a letter to parents, it added:

“These arrangements apply to both St Aidan’s and St John Fisher students in the Associated Sixth Form. Year 12 students should inform their home school of their intention to attend, should that be the case.”

Elsewhere, Rossett School has informed parents that it intends to repeat the same arrangements as the last teachers strike.

The school said:

“As a leadership team, we have decided to repeat the arrangements from the last strike day of Year 7, 11, 12 & 13 in school and Year 8, 9, and 10 working remotely.”

St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate will remain open to year 7 and 13 only.

In Knaresborough, King James’s School has advised that school will be closed to all students, apart from year 11 and sixth form who should continue to attend.

Outwood Academy in Ripon will remain open to year 11 and vulnerable students. Other year groups will be expected to complete work from home.

Details of how other secondary schools are affected will be posted as we get them.

Double devolution could be ‘fundamental gamechanger’ for Knaresborough, says councillor

A Knaresborough councillor has said double devolution could be a “fundamental gamechanger” for the town.

It follows a meeting of Knaresborough Town Council this week where town councillors backed submitting an expression of interest to North Yorkshire County Council to become part of a pilot scheme that could eventually see the town council run Knaresborough’s Wednesday market.

Knaresborough has held a weekly market since 1310, which it claims makes it the longest continually-run market in the country.

It’s currently run by Harrogate Borough Council but that will all change from April 1 when control will be handed to the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority.

If the expression of interest is successful, the town council would work with officers at North Yorkshire Council to develop a business case for potentially running the market.

This process would take around 12 months before a final decision is made by on whether Knaresborough is one of six pilot double devolution projects.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr David Goode said developing a business case would be an important experience to understand the processes, procedures and skills required to make double devolution bids.

He pointed to the example of Falmouth Town Council in Cornwall, which was not running any services 20 years ago but now employs 42 people and is a multi-million-pound operation.

He said:

“That’s the sort of massive change we’re looking at but it won’t happen overnight.”

Cllr Goode was keen to stress that if the town council were to ultimately run the market it would not necessarily mean an increase in its council tax precept.

The North Yorkshire Council budget for the market would be transferred to the town council as part of a legal agreement. This would commit the council to maintaining at least the same level and standard of service currently delivered on a permanent basis.

If the town council wanted to make enhancements to the market, it may have to meet the associated costs, but Cllr Goode said it would ask Knaresborough residents for their opinion before any decision was made.

He believes that good consultation will crucial if double devolution is to be a success.

Cllr Goode said:

“I firmly believe that if there is an enhancement to the market, that needs to be a ground-up decision from the community and not at the whim of councillors.”

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‘Limited resources’

Coats of arms

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How Harrogate district schools are affected

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