Ripon’s non-essential market traders returned to their stalls today after months of lockdown. But some traders believe they have been poorly treated by Harrogate Borough Council.

Harrogate Borough Council, which is planning to increase the rent for each stall by up to 32.4%, has offered the traders no rent holidays or reductions as they get back up and running.

The stallholders argue that due to the inability to trade over lockdown rental reductions should now be offered as they ease back into trading.

Nick Farnsworth, who has been selling women’s nightwear and underwear at Ripon for 25 years, said:

“It’s a disgrace that we are still being charged the full whack, when other areas are doing their best to help their market stallholders.”

Ripon market traders want more support from the council as they adjust to trading again.

Read more: 

• The council are offering discretionary grants to small businesses, including market traders and charities.
• Want to know what shops are reopening in the district? We’ve compiled a list for you. 

One market trader, Andrew Sutcliffe, who also trades in Knaresborough, agreed with other traders that more support from the council is necessary. He told The Stray Ferret that other markets he works on are currently offering rent holidays and reductions as they adjust to trading at full capacity.

In the week beginning 1st June, other local authorities including Barnsley and Leeds allowed stall holders selling goods classed as non-essential, to trade however the council decided to delay reopening to this week.

Harrogate Borough Council responded to the traders’ claims that they felt unsupported. They said:

“Throughout lockdown, the markets at Knaresborough and Ripon have continued to open in line with government guidance. We supported those essential goods traders to ensure they could continue to work. We’ve not charged for any trader who chose not to attend or wasn’t allowed to because of the coronavirus restrictions.

“Where we have charged, fees have been held at last year’s rates. It’s disappointing to hear that one or two traders feel we’ve not been supportive.  We’ve done all we can to ensure our markets can fully re-open safely and to enable traders to get back to business as usual.”

There is real concern that as lockdown continues they’ll be an increased risk to those isolating at home with an abusive or controlling partner.

North Yorkshire County Council is urging anyone who needs help to contact the Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS). The service aims to provide anyone in need and also encourages friends and families of those needing support to contact the organisation.

IDAS is the largest domestic abuse service in Yorkshire and over lockdown has adapted to the change in circumstances to provide video calls and emailing. The organisation is also planning to set up a virtual support group over the coming weeks.

Sarah Hill, Chief Executive of IDAS, has warned that the risks to those isolating with an abusive partner could increase as lockdown continues. She said:

“We are really worried about the risks of people being isolated with abusive people whose behaviour may escalate due to increasing uncertainty, pressure on finances and cramped conditions. Many people who face controlling, violent or abusive behaviour from a partner or family member are likely to be feeling very scared about being isolated with them for long periods of time. We want them to know that there is support available. Over the next few months, we will work creatively and flexibly to provide vital services in very difficult circumstances.

Amongst the safety advice IDAS has offered, they say:

• Get a spare phone and store emergency contact numbers in it and hide it in a safe place or with a trusted person
• Keep your ID documents, emergency funds, bank cards and children’s birth certificates to hand
• Speak to your neighbours and ask them to ring the police if they hear or see anything
• Set up safe words with friends so they know to call for help on your behalf
• Plan to check in with people regularly so that they can raise the alarm if they don’t hear from you

IDAS aim to continue supporting as many people in the region as it can, including using online platforms.

Read more:

• Harrogate women’s refuge is concerned that whilst stuck at home abuse victims are too scared to call them. 

Charlotte, whose name has been changed, is a Domestic Abuse Practitioner she said:.

“During the coronavirus outbreak, the challenges have been to continue to deliver a safe and productive support service. We have adapted by using various platforms including WhatsApp and Zoom and have introduced ‘coffee morning chats’ with a couple of clients. The sessions have enabled them to discuss general ‘lockdown’ issues including how to keep the children pro-active, and issues with court proceedings. We are also planning to begin a new virtual support group based on the ‘Moving On from Domestic Abuse’ (MODA) group in the next couple of weeks.”

Nidderdale Llamas has adapted to lockdown with virtual treks and birthday llama greetings.

The animal centre will not be able to open along with zoos and safari parks next week and the owners are still looking at July 4 as the earliest date possible.

Suzanne Benson, the owner of Nidderdale Llamas, told the Stray Ferret that she will be reducing its visitors, rotating llamas regularly for natural sanitation, and putting up more signage.

She added that her business has been hit hard by the lockdown but said she was hopeful that customers will return when they open.

Nidderdale Llamas is preparing to open.

Debenhams will reopen its Harrogate store on June 15 as retailers in the town centre gear up to bounce back after lockdown is eased.

The department store is preparing to open 50 of its outlets across the UK with strict social distancing measures in place.

Non-essential stores, such as clothing shops and electronic outlets, will be allowed to reopen as of June 15 as lockdown restrictions are relaxed further.

It comes as the future of Debenhams store in Parliament Street was thrown into doubt after the company filed for administration back in April.

Read more:

• Primark announces it will reopen Harrogate store
• Harrogate town centre will be deep cleaned in preparation for shoppers to return. 

Now, the store will reopen with Perspex shields at tills and PPE in place for staff as part of social distancing guidelines.

Steven Cook, chief executive of Debenhams, said the company was looking forward to opening again:

”We are delighted to be welcoming customers back to our stores in the coming weeks. 

“From the installation of perspex screens at till points to the roll-out of social distancing procedures and PPE, we have been working hard to ensure our colleagues and customers can work and shop with confidence. 

“Our reopening plans follow the successful conclusion of lease negotiations on 120 stores, meaning that the vast majority of our stores will be reopening.”

A Harrogate family has been able to share the joy of a new arrival for the first time since lockdown began.

Jen Carne gave birth to Samuel on April 21 and, along with husband Rob Earl, was unable to introduce him properly to his extended family.

Though they visited and waved through the windows, the easing of lockdown restrictions this week enabled grandparents Ed and Rosie Carne to meet Samuel in the park for the first time – and catch up with his 20-month-old sister, Hannah. Jen said:

“There have been a few positives in that we’ve been able to spend a lot of time as a family without having lots of pressure to see lots of people, but we’ve missed out on family being able to come over and help. We’ve missed being able to see other mums and babies. I have missed a lot of Hannah’s groups – it has been tricky trying to entertain her while taking care of Samuel.”

Read more:

• Which attractions are open for families to meet up outside?
• Nurseries welcome children back for the first time since lockdown began

This week’s meet-up was a special moment for the whole family, who should have been gathering this week to celebrate Jen and Rob’s wedding, which has had to be postponed. However, Jen said they hope to be able to hold a small ceremony soon, with a reception at a later date.

Ed and Rosie Carne enjoyed a picnic with their daughter Jen, granddaughter Hannah and new grandson Samuel after lockdown restrictions were eased

Meanwhile, Ed and Rosie are just pleased to be able to meet their new grandson and see how Hannah has grown over recent weeks. Rosie said:

“I feel we’re very lucky we live so near so at least we can see them, but I find not being able to pick Hannah up very hard. We were helping out with looking after when Jen was working so I feel we’ve got quite a close relationship and sometimes she wants to crawl to us and we have to back off. We have a few little games we can do, but it’s not the same.”

With less than four weeks remaining in the contract between the NHS and Harrogate Convention Centre, both parties are remaining tight-lipped about the future of the Nightingale Hospital.

The initial agreement allowed the NHS to establish the emergency hospital across eight halls at Harrogate Convention Centre and was set to last until the end of June. No rent was payable to HCC – which, owned by Harrogate Borough Council, had to cover costs using taxpayers’ money.

Now, with the end of the contract looming, the council has refused to comment on whether any further agreement has been made.

However, with national government advisors speaking publicly about the likelihood of a second wave of Covid-19, it seems unlikely the NHS will take down the facility in the near future. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said this week:

“It may be that there’s a seasonal element and if so, for most respiratory viruses, they are more likely to be transmitted, there is a higher likelihood of transmission, in the winter.

“The winter is always worse than summer, spring and autumn for health services, and we need to think about this in terms of how we come out for the next phase.”

While having the NHS Nightingale on stand-by has been described by many as reassuring, concerns have been raised repeatedly about the potential impact on the local economy – especially as hospitality businesses prepare to reopen in early July.

Harrogate’s businesses are heavily reliant upon tourist and conference visitors to the centre, which says that it contributes around £60m to the local economy. Hotels, restaurants and bars have already spoken out about the need to fill the gap left by the conference trade.

Read more:

• Harrogate District Hospital had a fifth of its workforce off sick
• Why one leading hotelier believes the Nightingale hospital could cause problems for the town’s hospitality trade

Harrogate Borough Council refused to make any comment on the status of negotiations with the NHS over the future of the Nightingale hospital, saying the contract was confidential. Last month, HCC director Paula Lorimer told The Stray Ferret that the next events were scheduled for August and, in the meantime, she was doing all she could to reschedule events which could not be held.

This week, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive, Sandra Doherty, told The Stray Ferret it was a “feather in Harrogate’s cap” to be chosen to host the NHS Nightingale for the region. However, she warned:

“The conference and exhibition industry is the life blood of Harrogate’s economy, and those businesses that rely on this vitally important trade need clarification as to when these venues will be handed back.

“Whilst the coronavirus lockdown has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of many events, organisers will now be looking to reschedule them for later in the year. Harrogate is blessed with a number of other superb conference facilities, and we need to do everything we can to encourage organisers to consider using them as an alternative.

“We must do everything in our power to keep new and existing business here.”

The owners of Three’s a Crowd and the Coach and Horses on West Park Stray said they followed government guidelines when they opened over the weekend to sell take-out beer.

On Saturday afternoon crowds outside the two pubs led Harrogate police to urge the public to stick to social distancing as people blocked the pavements and were not keeping 2 metres apart.  It led to a large amount of concern on social media that people are giving up on the rules.

John Quinlan of Three’s a Crowd told The Stray Ferret that safety was their priority:

We worked with the North Yorkshire police to monitor social distancing and they were supportive and helpful throughout. Helping us maintain the safety of our guests within the boundaries of our pub.

The majority of our guests were sensible and followed the social distancing measures set out with only a few that decided to ignore these. With the Stray being closed directly opposite and people beginning to congregate we decided to close early and stop serving, asking people to disband.

Tables and chairs put on the grass verge of the Stray for drinkers at The Coach and Horses on Sunday

“You can go to Waitrose and buy a can and sit on the Stray and drink it or you can come here and buy a drink and do the same thing. The only difference is that every penny we take is going to Horticap. Saturday was the first day and a one point it did get crowded outside. You learn – today we’ve put chairs up on the other side of the road so that the pavement outside is free and we’ve put an extra barrier outside.

I have a licence to sell beer either on and off the property- what rules am I breaking?”

Whether Mr Nelson will be allowed to keep his chairs and tables on the other side of the road though, remains to be seen.

After 10 weeks of community spirit and support, The Stray Ferret has reflected on the appreciation shown from people all over the borough.

Every Thursday at 8 pm for the past 10 weeks the sound of clapping, cheering and wooden spoons hitting saucepan lids has filled the streets of the district as we celebrated those working on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the founder of the ‘clap for carers’  has now said this is a good time for the clapping to end.

Steve Russell, the Chief Executive of Harrogate Hospital was outside the hospital for the official final clap.

Although the official clap marks its end, I think we all know that the communities across Harrogate will carry on clapping inside for weeks months and years to come… I am incredibly proud of my team here and really grateful to everyone that has shown so much support.

Yorkshire Water has again urged people to stay away from reservoirs this weekend as its sites have already seen an influx of visitors since lockdown restrictions were eased.

It’s the third week in a row the company has pleaded for people not to visit its reservoirs as it continues to put plans in place to protect its key workers.

Car parks at Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross are currently open after lockdown measures were relaxed and allowed people to travel to visit parks and other attractions for exercise.

It comes as people have flocked to reservoirs in the Harrogate district in the past couple of weeks to make the most of the sunshine. More than 50 cars were parked outside Swinsty reservoir in the first week of restrictions being relaxed.

Cars parked outside Swinsty reservoir in the first week of lockdown restrictions being eased.

But bosses at Yorkshire Water have urged people to only visit if they are in walking distance after incidents where cars have been parked inappropriately on nearby roads.

Emily Brady, marketing and content manager at Yorkshire Water, said reservoirs in the county had been busy since restrictions were eased and urged people to stay away.

She said: “Since the government guidelines have changed, we’ve been working hard to devise a plan to keep everyone safe while enjoying our beautiful reservoirs. 

“Our key workers visit our reservoirs regularly to do vital engineering checks so we’re putting plans in place to help protect them.

“While we do this, we want to remind everyone to not visit our reservoirs this weekend unless you live within walking distance. Unfortunately, lots of people are still visiting our reservoirs and they’re very busy at the moment. 

“We’ve had several incidences of people parking inappropriately on roads nearby causing traffic issues too and this has caused issues for emergency services so please don’t visit this weekend and hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon.”

The closure of the St George Hotel is symptomatic of the huge challenges facing the hospitality industry, according to the leader of the group representing the largest hotels in the Harrogate district.

Peter Banks, chairman of Harrogate Hospitality and Tourism Association, told The Stray Ferret: “They will be the first of many in the country. It’s going to be carnage. The high street will be changed for good.”

With Harrogate Convention Centre still set up as a Nightingale hospital and remaining on stand-by for an indefinite period, Mr Banks, who is general manager at Rudding Park, said there is a large question mark hanging over the viability of the industry in the district.

“What about all the bedrooms that go hand-in-hand with the convention centre? If it’s a hospital for a year, all of those big shows won’t be going on and all their attendees and delegates will not be staying in the hotel bedrooms.

“Only about three per cent of the bedrooms I sell are related to the convention centre, but there are other hotels that are much more like 30, 40, 50 per cent. Where’s that business going to come from?”

Sitting opposite the convention centre, the St George was likely to have been more affected than most by it being out of use for events. But Mr Banks said being part of a business which also operated coach tours put it at greater risk than many of the district’s other hotels.

Peter Banks, chairman of Harorgate Hospitality and Tourism Association

While quarantine restrictions are in place for overseas travel, Harrogate is likely to get a boost from UK tourists. However, Mr Banks said HHTA’s thoughts haven’t yet turned to how the district can capitalise on this and market itself effectively:

“Right now, everybody is just trying to work out how the hell we’re going to operate. We’re that far away from creating any marketing plans. If you can’t work out how people are going to go to the loo safely, it might be putting the cart before the horse.”

Weight of responsibility

He criticised the guidance from the government as “about as clear as mud”, saying they had left businesses to try to work out how to operate safely without straightforward rules. Hotel owners, he said, felt an enormous weight of responsibility to protect staff and visitors from the risk of catching Covid-19 and were constantly re-writing their plans as government guidance changed.

For example, he said reducing the number of staff in hotel kitchens means overhauling menus – and putting those menus onto apps instead of passing them between staff and customers. Even simple things like passing in corridors and using toilets will have to be considered and controlled. He added:

“My hotel manager said it’s going to be like re-opening a new hotel. It’s going to be like opening a new hotel on Mars. The rules are going to be entirely different and we’re going to have to change things day by day while we work out how it works.”

Peter Banks says re-opening Rudding Park will be ‘like opening a new hotel on Mars’

Mr Banks said he expects most of the hotels in Harrogate to be large enough to sustain themselves through the current turmoil. For restaurants, however, he said even if they are able to reopen in the coming weeks, social distancing may make it impossible for them to break even, let alone make a profit.

“The furlough scheme has been a life-saver, but frankly all it’s doing is kicking the can down the road. We’re all going to have to cope without the support of the government at some point. It’s delaying the inevitable when a lot of smaller businesses will not be able to make a profit.

“If they have to get 70 per cent occupancy to break even in restaurants, what’s the point? They just won’t open.

The hospitality industry is extremely worried. Everyone is getting ready to open in July at some point but everyone is worried about what it’s going to look like.”

Short-term ‘bounce’

As well as the hotel receptionists, cleaners, kitchen porters, accountants and others who lose their jobs when a hotel closes, Mr Banks said there is a ripple effect to others such as food suppliers. Even the move to cashless systems to reduce the risk of infection will result in job losses, as cashing up is no longer needed and couriers won’t be required to take money to the bank.

The result could be further redundancies being made across all industries, leaving people with less cash in their pockets. While Mr Banks said he expects a short-term “bounce” for many hotels and restaurants soon after reopening, he said the winter could be very quiet as people run out of money they have saved during lockdown, or more job losses hit across the UK.

However, he sounded a note of optimism for the Harrogate district.

“Harrogate is an awful lot more fortunate than a lot of other places. We have a great natural resource, a really beautiful built environment, unlike so many other places. We will be less affected than others.”