Harrogate district buses to cap youth fares at £1

Bus fares for young people in the Harrogate district will be capped at £1 as part of a one-year pilot scheme.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive members yesterday accepted £3.5 million of funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Network North Bus Service Improvement Plan, which will be used to introduce the scheme.

The pilot will include expanded bus timetables, improvements to bus shelters and £1 travel fares.

£2.1 million of the money, which has been allocated to local authorities in the north and the midlands after plans for the HS2 rail project were halted, will fund additional weekday bus services during peak times across three Harrogate district routes.

These include:

A further £715,000 of the funding will be used to provide £1 bus fares for people aged under 19, which will apply county-wide, while £158,000 will be used to hire more staff to improve boarding times and information services at bus stations across the Harrogate and Scarborough districts.

Maintaining and improving bus stops, additional cleaning services and repairs to Ripon bus station’s waiting facilities will also fall under the scheme at a cost of £76,000.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“As a result of our efforts, bus services in North Yorkshire have seen a significant reversal of fortune since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Passenger numbers are up and we’ve protected at-risk services. Now, I am pleased we can go further.

“With £3.5 million of extra funding, we are able to introduce lower fares for under-19s, invest in bus stops and fund expanded routes in all corners of the county.

“This is very welcome news for passengers, but it is of course vital that services are supported so they can continue in the longer term.”

The council has urged the public to “get on board with the pilot” to ensure the services will continue beyond 2025.

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Council confirms closure of Nidderdale primary school with no pupils

Fountains Earth Church of England Primary School will officially close for good at the end of this month.

North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative-run executive met yesterday in Northallerton to approve the closure following a consultation.

The school in Lofthouse near Pateley Bridge has faced dwindling pupil numbers in recent years and currently has no pupils on its books.

The council’s executive member for education Annabel Wilkinson said “nobody wants to close a small school” and it was “a very hard decision”.

Fountains Earth is part of Upper Nidderdale Federation alongside St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge and Glasshouses Community Primary School.

Earlier in the meeting, Cllr Andrew Murday (Liberal Democrat, Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale) pleaded with councillors to delay a decision as he called for an investigation to take place first into the leadership of the school’s federation related to its academic and financial performance as well as communication with parents.

He noted that the school received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted in 2022 and if the issues were resolved, he believes parents would bring their children back.

Cllr Murday said:

“There would be pupils if the dispute with the federation hadn’t happened. Families have put houses up for sale because the school’s not there. It’s a chicken and egg situation.

“Rural schools are important for communities and they gain something from being small and within the community.”

However, the council’s legal officer Barry Khan suggested it would be out of its remit to investigate governance at the federation.

The number of pupils at the school had declined from 20 in 2017 to 10 in 2022.

This led executive member for finance Cllr Gareth Dadd to say keeping a school open with such few potential pupils “would be doing a disservice to those children”.

Cllr Greg White, executive member for environment, said for rural schools to remain open, residents need to “breed and have children”.

Cllr Dadd said: 

“I feel very uncomfortable sending a child to a primary school with 8 pupils. I don’t think it can be beneficial to that child. It’s not just about education it’s about social interaction as well.”

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, said this had been a factor when parents withdrew their children.

She said: 

“Four to 11-year-olds were being taught in one class. This was a challenge for the one member of staff who then moved on and the school struggled to recruit. They relied on agency staff or other teachers from the federation.

“When a child became the only one in their year group, the parents wanted to move them to schools with other children their own age to prepare for secondary school.”

The school will officially close on March 31 and its catchment area will become part of St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School in Pateley Bridge.

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Trading Hell: ‘We cannot force people to do something’, says homeless charity

Yesterday, we outlined the statistics on Harrogate town centre crime and revealed a shocking increase in shoplifting.

The figures matter because crime data influences where police use their resources.

Traders in Harrogate have low confidence that reports of offences such as drug taking, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting will be dealt with.

They also point the finger at particular groups who they feel to a greater or lesser extent are responsible for issues in the town, such as rough sleepers and young people.

Aside from the police, there are multiple agencies in Harrogate from probation to mental health services who help to support those people and try to steer them away from committing anti-social behaviour.

One of the charities that has caught the traders’ attention due to its proximity to town is Harrogate Homeless Project.

The Stray Ferret visited the centre to speak to its senior staff about the issues in the town and how they support rough sleepers.

Rough sleepers

The charity is well-known in the town for its services for the homeless, such as its Springboard Day Centre in the Wesley Chapel and its hostel on Bower Road.

The day centre is described as “one stop shop” for people to get daily services, such as cooked meals and healthcare, while the hostel is the charity’s overnight accommodation.

Francis McAllister, chief executive at the charity, said the project was well aware of the concerns of businesses in relation to rough sleepers.

As previously reported, there have been flashpoints in the town in recent years with businesses complaining over rough sleepers causing anti-social behaviour at Crescent Gardens and at the back of Primark.

Giuliano Achilli and Francis McAllister.

Giuliano Achilli and Francis McAllister.

In an effort to build bridges with traders, the charity has given out a direct number for its head of client services, Giuliano Achilli, should they have issues with people considered to be rough sleeping.

Sometimes the charity will know who the people are and ask them to move on.

Mr McAllister said:

“We will always support other organisations. Giuliano will go and speak to them and some times they will listen to him more than others. The majority of businesses have his number.

“We know that it is an issue and we know that it annoys people.”

But the charity can only do so much.

It will offer those sleeping rough in the town support with accommodation, cooked meals and health. However, if they do not accept then that is the extent of its power.

Mr Achilli said:

“I cannot force people to do something.”

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Mr McAllister explains that a lot of those who sleep rough have “deep rooted” issues and lead chaotic lives.

The project is there to support them and the wider area – this includes helping police if any of the people using the service commit a crime, such as drug misuse or anti-social behaviour.

But one property owner feels the charity could do more.

Russell Davidson, who owners three blocks of property on nearby Oxford Street, said he believed the project should confiscate alcohol from people who use the charity.

“I’ve spoken to the man who monitors the CCTV there, and he says they hand in the booze when the going into Harrogate Homeless Project, because they have to as a condition of being admitted. 

“But then Francis gives them their booze back when the leave in the morning – and they’re out on the streets again. They shouldn’t be given their booze back – it should be taken off them as a condition of having a meal, a shower and a bed for the night.”

However, Mr McAllister said the charity had no legal powers to confiscate property and that such a move would not be a solution for people with addictions.

In response, he said:

“They are people who are disadvantaged, living in poverty and frequently addicted to alcohol and/or drugs sometimes both. The Springboard Day Centre is there to support these people who are trying to live a normal life.

“They have rights – the same as every other citizen – we offer the opportunity for other agencies to meet with them and create the opportunity to engage with services that can help them.

“Harrogate Homeless Project does not have the legal powers to confiscate property even if we wanted to, nor are we about searching people that we are seeking to help. What is suggested is not a solution.

“If anyone wants to buy alcohol it is readily available in the centre of Harrogate. The long-term solution is to spend time, effort and cash to help people manage their addictions and develop the skills to maintain a home which will get them permanently off the streets. It is difficult, it takes time, it takes resources and that is what we do.”

Young people

Rough sleepers are not the only group of people that traders feel cause issues in the town. They also pointed to young people as being part of the problem.

Teenagers have been involved in high profile incidents in the town which have led to the courts being involved.

In January 2022, police arrested three boys, aged 14, 15 and 17, after reports of young people on the roof of Harrogate Theatre at 4am.

The theatre was undergoing a £1 million refurbishment to its roof at the time.

The boys later appeared before North Yorkshire youth court and all admitted damaging scaffolding to the value of £300 and causing £500 damage to a Ford transit van belonging to nearby Scandinavian cafe Baltzersen’s.

Traders have also complained of school children “flooding” the town centre, which they say leaves them on guard for any potential thefts.

North Yorkshire Council runs youth services which aim to prevent reoffending and give a proportionate response to crimes committed by young people.

Specifically, the authority runs what is called a youth outcomes panel.

The panel, which is a partnership between police, North Yorkshire Youth Justice Service and York Youth Offending Team, decides what action, if any, is most appropriate to pursue.

It also encourages a restorative approach with victims and looks to address the causes of the young person’s offending.

The Stray Ferret requested an interview with youth services at North Yorkshire Council to ask what is being done to prevent young people offending in the town and whether it felt anti-social behaviour was a problem in the area.

We received the following statement from Mel Hutchinson, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for children and families:

“As a children and families service, we regularly meet with our partners and have not been advised of concerns relating to anti-social behaviour of children or young people (up to 18 years) in Harrogate town centre and neither have our locality teams who are based in the town.

“North Yorkshire Youth are commissioned by us to deliver a programme of activities for 10 to 17-year-olds across the county, supporting voluntary projects, clubs and providing 17 youth clubs within communities.  Further details can be found at https://nyy.org.uk/

“We also work in partnership with the Office of Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (OFPCC) and our community safety partnership to secure additional funding to deliver a targeted preventative programme for children aged 10 to 17 years, who get into trouble with the law, helping them to stay away from crime.

“Over the last three years, funding has been secured from the Ministry of Justice, the OFPCC and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for a targeted early intervention scheme called. The Change Direction/Turnaround Programme. The aim of the programme is to prevent young people aged from 10 to 17 from becoming involved in crime or anti-social behaviour by offering them and their families support. Children, including those open to the Youth Justice Service, can be referred onto the programme.

“In addition, our Early Help – Children and Families Services work closely with schools to ensure children, young people and their families receive the right support at the right time to stop problems escalating. The service is also available to children and their families in North Yorkshire who have been referred to us.”

Who has responsibility?

In this report, we have focused on two agencies who help to tackle a complex issue in Harrogate – but there are others which also work on the issues on a daily basis.

Despite all these different agencies supporting those responsible for some of the town’s issues, traders feel the system is simply not working.

As Harrogate Homeless Project and youth services lack any enforcement power, the extent of their support can only go so far.

Ultimately, the responsibility to enforce the law falls to the police.

Tomorrow, in an interview with chief inspector Simon Williamson, we ask the police if they could do more to give confidence to businesses in Harrogate.

Concern as school suspensions rise by 40% in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Concerns have been raised after the number of children suspended in Harrogate and Knaresborough schools rose by more than 40% in the last year.

Figures recently published by North Yorkshire Council revealed there were 459 suspensions in 2022/23 — a rise from 314 in the previous year.

The most common reason for suspensions was “persistent disruptive behaviour”, according to a report.

The chief inspector of Ofsted has said that behaviour in schools has deteriorated since the covid pandemic, with some pupils refusing to comply with rules, talking back to teachers and walking out of class mid-lesson.

The topic was raised at a meeting of local councillors in Harrogate on Thursday.

Cllr Paul Haslam, an independent representing Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he was “concerned” at the level of suspensions in the area.

He said:

“What we’ve got is a symptom and not a cause. I’m keen to understand the causes of suspensions. I do not underestimate the commitment of teachers.

“As a past school governor and trustee, I know how hard they work but how can we best support them? Can we catch [poor behaviour] at primary school so it doesn’t happen in secondary school?”

Last week, youth education charity Impetus published research that found children suspended from school see their exam results suffer.

It suggested some children were found to be lagging a year behind their peers with some unable to achieve a standard pass in GCSE maths and English.

 

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, responded to Cllr Haslam and said the rise in suspensions reflected a national trend.

She also said the figures were “linked disproportionately” to children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ms Newbold said:

“What we’ve seen is an increase in suspensions and exclusions across the county. Those numbers have risen over the last few years. We can link it back to wider issues in families rather than school-specific issues.

“We’ve focused on all things inclusion this academic year and are offering support around suspension and exclusions. We’ve had headteacher workshops to make sure we can do as much preventative work as possible but it will take time to see outcomes.”

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Harrogate to Skipton bus suspended due to Kex Gill work

The Saturday DalesBus 59 service between Harrogate and Skipton has been suspended due to the closure of the A59 at Kex Gill.

The service had been following a lengthy diversion around Ilkley after North Yorkshire Council suddenly closed the road last month due to a cracked verge.

But the Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, which operates the DalesBus, has now called a halt to it.

It said in a statement:

“We’re sorry to advise that DalesBus 59 is currently suspended during the closure of the A59 at Kex Gill for emergency repairs.

“Very few people used the service during the diversion via Ilkley, and the diversionary route is now subject to additional roadworks and delays at Manor Park from March 18.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused. A full service will resume every Saturday as soon as the road reopens.”

The DalesBus had been taking a diverted route via Otley and Ilkley, and stopped calling at Blubberhouses or Bolton Bridge.

The closed road at Kex Gill.

The A59 is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton. It is not expected to reopen until after Easter and work is unlikely to begin before the end of March.

In its latest update last week, Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We are currently finalising the programme for the repair scheme, which will include sheet piling and backfilling, to address the slippage and reduce further movement of the carriageway.

“This will involve driving long sheets of interlocking steel into the ground to create a continuous structural wall which provides strength and stability. Once this has been completed, we will be backfilling the excavated area between the sheet piles and the road.

“When we have the final programme and timescales, we will endeavour to update road users.”

This has been met with frustrations from motorists and residents.

 

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Another 135 homes off Harrogate’s Skipton Road set for approval

Plans to build up to 135 homes off Skipton Road in Harrogate look set to be approved next week.

Harrogate company Rowan Green Developments submitted plans to North Yorkshire Council for a development on 8.8 hectares of agricultural land at Cow Dyke Farm, between the New Park roundabout and the Curious Cow of Harrogate roundabout.

Up to 54 homes termed affordable would be included.

Council case officer Helen Goulden has recommended members of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee approve the application, subject to 33 conditions, when it meets on Tuesday, March 26. The meeting will be broadcast live online by the council here.

Ms Goulden said in her 34-page report:

“The proposed development will make a valuable contribution to meeting housing need, including the delivery of affordable housing.

“The proposal will have an acceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area and no issues are raised at this outline stage in terms of highway matters, trees, ecology, or amenity.”

The land allocated for the scheme.

Her report added, however, that an outstanding objection from the lead local flood authority still required resolving.

The application, described in the report as “a significant and sensitive development”, received 71 objections and no representations of support during the public consultation phase.

The key concerns include the adverse impact on the character of the area, the visual impact, the loss of agricultural land and the loss of trees, hedgerows and wildlife habitat.

The site, which is included for development in the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, has a long planning history.

A bid for 180 homes in 2018 was refused amid concerns for housing density and further plans were then submitted for 145 homes.

The site is located on two fields of agricultural grassland to the north of the A59 Skipton Road (A59) towards the northwestern edge of Harrogate.

A map showing the site north of Skipton Road.

Killinghall Parish Council said in its consultation response it “neither objects nor supports the scheme” but raised various concerns, including problematic site access during construction.

The council suggested the developer should contribute £1.2 million for funding school expansion and new school places at primary and secondary level in mitigation for the impact of the scheme.

It has also called for an additional £369,000 to be spent on enhancing “various off-site open spaces in the locality and Killinghall Village Hall”.

A design and access statement on behalf of the developer said:

“Cow Dyke Farm will be a special place in Harrogate; strongly rooted in its landscape setting, with a unique character, providing the best of town country living.

“The site presents a wonderful opportunity for the provision of new housing within the wider setting of Harrogate in a site which strongly benefits from its strategic connections to the town and surrounding areas.”

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Labour and Reform UK by-election candidates reveal Harrogate priorities

Labour and Reform UK’s candidates in a forthcoming Harrogate by-election have spoken of their priorities if elected.

Voters in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone will go to the polls on April 11 to vote for a successor on North Yorkshire Council to Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who resigned after making anti-semitic posts on social media.

Labour and Reform UK were the last two parties to reveal who they had selected after the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens previously announced candidates.

In a press release, Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party described its candidate, Geoff Foxall, as “a tireless community campaigner in Harrogate, where he has lived all his life, working as a teacher at Harrogate High School then school governor at Harrogate High, Harrogate College, the grammar school, and Starbeck school in retirement”.

It added he was an advocate for public libraries, a community archaeologist, and keen walker.

Mr Foxall said:

“If elected, I will work passionately to deliver a fresh start for the area that I love and for the town where I was born and have lived in my entire life.

“My eight years as a Labour councillor on Harrogate District Council including four years as group leader, have given me the experience to hold the Conservative council to account for poor quality roads, unreliable public transport, and cuts to our public services. The North Yorkshire Labour Group is influential and growing and if elected I would join their ranks to advocate for a fairer and stronger North Yorkshire.

“As chair of Starbeck Residents Association I was active in opposing a relief road through the Nidd Gorge and creating a community woodland in the green belt between Harrogate and Knaresborough. I have also opposed overdevelopment in the Starbeck and Kingsley Road areas of Harrogate.

“My priorities if elected would be to bring together politicians and community groups from all walks of life to deliver improved roads, better and more reliable public transport, and investment in our care services and local schools.”

Reform candidate focused on station gateway

Harrogate-born Jonathan Swales, whose family were the original owners of Yorkshire Farmers Limited and Swales (Harrogate) Wholesale Fruit and Veg businesses, will attempt to become Reform UK’s second North Yorkshire councillor after Cllr Mike Jordan’s defected to the party.

A press release announcing his candidacy said he was married to fine artist Helen, with whom he has two children, and has “extensive management and business experience, having held a number of senior level management, and director roles in the construction industry”.

Mr Swales said:

“I am very proud of my Harrogate roots, and Yorkshire heritage.

“As a local resident I am well aware of the local issues that people are concerned about and how national issues feed into local issues. I share the frustration when people’s views are just ignored.”

Mr Swales cited the Harrogate Gateway Project as one of his priorities. He said:

“A failing of the process around that project was that local councillors didn’t engage with council cabinet members and council officers. There was an opportunity to influence, and get a better outcome, that opportunity was lost.

“Everyone wants a better town centre, and this project could have been part of that overall improvement, but we now have a scheme that doesn’t really deliver anything for anyone — and that includes the cyclists, people on foot or people arriving by bus or train.

“In the Stray,  Woodlands and Hookstone division, there are also planning matters, such as the racket courts near to Hookstone Woods. Then there are the ongoing concerns of potholes, roads being used for click-throughs, and the area being used for parking by the schools and the hospital.”

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Reform UK leader Richard Tice said the party was building a base in North Yorkshire and the by-election would give an indication of how people may vote in the general election, when Richard Brown will contest Harrogate and Knaresborough for Reform UK. Mr Tice added:

“No longer will Harrogate be a Conservative vs Lib Dem, it will be ‘vote Reform UK, get Reform UK’.”

The full list of by-election candidates is:

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Residents of the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division have until midnight on Friday, March 22, to register to vote and until 5pm on Monday, March 25, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post they have until 5pm on Wednesday, April 3, to apply for a proxy vote.

 

Trading Hell: A Stray Ferret investigation reveals how Harrogate shop workers routinely face threats, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

Shocking levels of anti-social behaviour, drug-dealing, shoplifting and even threats to staff are all routine occurrences faced by many shop workers in Harrogate town centre, a Stray Ferret investigation has revealed. 

Even though Harrogate is widely viewed as one of the finest shopping towns in the North, our investigation pieced together a picture of “scary” back alleys where shop workers fear to go, and high streets that shoppers have started to avoid. 

We surveyed 50 businesses in the town centre and spoke to many retailers at length. We found a deep sense of frustration among traders, most of whom feel not nearly enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they should be. 

What’s more, while some traders had shocking stories to tell, only a handful were willing to be quoted by name. Most preferred to remain anonymous for fear of becoming a target. 

In a series of articles running through this week, we’ll be examining the problems that make life difficult for town-centre businesses, finding out what’s being done to tackle them, looking at whether it’s working, and asking if there may be a better approach.

Our Trading Hell survey covered almost all the businesses on Oxford Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge Road, Market Place and the Victoria Shopping Centre, as well as parts of Beulah Street and James Street. 

The vast majority of businesses polled (96%) said that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t – and 52% said it’s a major problem. 

Graphic showing responses to the question 'How much of a problem for your business is anti-social behaviour?'. 'It's a major problem' - 52% 'It's a problem, but not major' - 26% 'It's a minor problem' - 18% 'It's not a problem' - 4%

Other behaviours considered to be a problem included shoplifting (78%), street-drinking (74%), threats to staff (70%), rough sleeping (70%), begging (68%) and drug misuse (66%). 

Shockingly, 20% of town-centre businesses face threats to staff at least once a week. 

One trader told the Stray Ferret: 

“I’ve been working here for 18 months and it’s been a shocker. This place has become lawless in the town centre.”

 Graphic showing that 20% of Harrogate town centre businesses see threats to staff as a major problem.

Hotspot 

Our survey showed that nowhere is immune to the problems, but there are hotspots, and the “hottest” spot is centred on the intersection of Oxford Street and Cambridge Road – the area between McDonalds, Wesley Chapel and the Halifax bank. 

One shop owner said: 

“There are often groups drinking around the doorway, which discourages customers, and hanging around under shelter, shouting and swearing in the street. It makes for an unpleasant environment.” 

Nearby, Ian Hall, store manager of Games Crusade on Oxford Street, recounted a disturbing incident when he had to physically keep two men apart. He said: 

“Two gentlemen came chasing through the street and the first one bolted through our door and ran to the back of the shop. He looked really scared. The second one was shouting and swearing at him, calling him all sorts of names, and wanted to knock seven bells out of him.

“I stood in the doorway and told him he couldn’t come in and eventually he calmed down and left. If he had come in, I think they’d probably have started fighting in the shop, knocking things over and destroying stock. Anything could have happened.”

But the problems are by no means confined to adults. One trader told us he had to be particularly vigilant against theft in the late afternoon, when school pupils “flooded” into the town centre.

Two years ago, two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) were seriously injured in an attack by three schoolgirls in McDonalds. One of the officers suffered a suspected broken nose and the other later left the service, partly as a result of the incident. One of the girls narrowly avoided a custodial sentence.

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses see street drinking as a problem.

Alcohol wasn’t a factor in that case, but it does appears to be a common feature of much of the town centre’s anti-social behaviour and is believed to have played a part in an incident on Oxford Street last May, when a man admitted to pulling the wing off a pigeon. 

A common view among traders is that the problems are showing no signs of getting any better. On the contrary, one said: 

“It’s got much worse in the last two to three years. You can smell weed on the street, there’s drug-dealing in front of our door, and I’ve even had to call an ambulance for somebody.” 

Lost business 

While these problems are not pleasant for shoppers and passers-by, for businesses they translate into lost trade and, for some smaller traders, damage to livelihoods.  

One Oxford Street retailer said: 

“My shop windows were smashed more than once, and it cost me a lot of money to replace them.” 

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses have lost revenue due to the problems they face trading.

Others complained of casual shoplifting. Games Crusade’s Ian Hall said: 

“We get drunk people coming into the shop and trying to walk out with stock. It’s not underhand – it’s in full view. I just take it off them and that tends to be the end of it. But you have to have your wits about you all the time.” 

Across the town centre, nearly three in every four businesses (74%) said they had lost trade as a result of some or all of these behaviours. Among Oxford Street retailers, the figure was 100%, and many are convinced that footfall is down as a result.

The manager of one shop said: 

“Anti-social behaviour and street-drinking discourage the general public from visiting this part of town.” 

Paul Rawlinson, who has two businesses on Oxford Street, Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersen, said: 

“Oxford Steet has become a much less desirable place to walk down as a result of these behaviours. It’s more pronounced during the summer, when rough sleeping is a more comfortable option than it is in winter.” 

Back streets 

Although the main streets of the town centre are where activities such as street drinking and anti-social behaviour are most visible, the back alleys are where other things happen for the most part unseen. 

Last year, a woman was seriously sexually assaulted in an alley to the rear of Clarks shoe shop in Market Place. That alley was finally closed off by a new gate after three years of lobbying, but other backstreets are still used for illegal activities. 

One shop worker on Cambridge Street told us: 

“Staff feel unsafe going out the back of the store because of large groups of kids smoking weed and shouting abuse to intimidate us. It’s quite scary. Also, drunks use our property and we find needles and glass bottles lying around.”

During our investigation, we discovered down one back alley abandoned prescription drugs, discarded clothing, clusters of clothes hangers – presumably dumped by shoplifters – and even a notebook containing obscene sexual content.

What’s being done…

One body that has tried to do something about the town centre’s problems is Harrogate BID (business improvement district). It would like to see a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) put in place banning certain behaviours, such as persistent begging and street drinking, from the town centre. But according to the national guidelines, these can only be applied if crime levels are above a certain benchmark, which Harrogate doesn’t reach.

BID manager Matthew Chapman said: 

“The statistics showed that the number of crimes is very low in the town centre. 

“While on the face of it this seems like good news, the stats just didn’t match up with what we were hearing from BID members.

“Shop owners and staff were telling us they were regularly seeing relatively minor crime, but the police figures just didn’t reflect this.” 

So two years ago, the BID launched a campaign to encourage town-centre businesses to report crime. For three months it promoted its Report a Crime initiative, telling traders to report every crime, no matter how minor. But bizarrely, crime figures over that period went down, so the PSPO is still a goal rather than a reality – and the BID is still lobbying for it. We’ll be speaking to Matthew Chapman about the PSPO and the BID’s efforts to tackle these issues in Friday’s feature.

…and what’s not 

Several traders told the Stray Ferret that they had stopped reporting low-value thefts because they did not believe the police would do anything about them. Worse still, we uncovered a widespread belief that the problems plaguing the town centre are simply not being adequately addressed. When asked how well the issues are being tackled by the authorities, 38% said ‘badly’ and 32% – almost one in three – thought the problems weren’t being tackled at all.

Graphic showing that town-centre businesses blame the police more than any other organisation for the problems they face.

Two in every five traders (40%) blamed the police for failing to tackle the issues, many of them complaining that the police response to reports of theft is slow and ineffective. A report released last week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services following its inspection of North Yorkshire Police only rated the force “adequate” at investigating crime and responding to the public, although this assessment was better than last year, when it received the notice “requires improvement” in both areas.

One town-centre jeweller said his shop had been burgled last summer when thieves stole £60,000 worth of stock, but claimed the police response was inept and late. He said:

“It took the police 12 hours to respond to my initial 999 call, and when they did, they said they’d pass my details on to the appropriate officer ‘a week on Friday’ because he was on a course.

“Very soon after the theft, someone told me they knew who had committed the crime and even where my stock was being held. I believed them because the details they gave were bang on. I told the police, but it took them eight months to arrest anybody, and by that time the evidence had all disappeared.

“They lost emails with my details in them and didn’t even have my telephone number. As far as I know, nobody’s yet been charged.”

The Stray Ferret has spoken to Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police about the force’s response to reports of crime, and you can read the interview here on Thursday.

In the meantime, traders are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in improving conditions in the centre of “one of the finest shopping towns in the North”. One shopkeeper said: 

“I see it all here. Every week there’s something going on. I speak to other business owners and there’s a general feeling on the street that there’s no-one in power who’s doing anything about it – and it just gets worse.”

Tomorrow – what exactly do the official stats show? We report on a huge rise in shop-lifting and examine the extent of drug taking and wider anti-social behaviour cases reported to police in Harrogate town centre.  

Have you got a story to tell about any of the issues covered in this article? Let us know by emailing us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Harrogate councillor resigns Tory whip to stand for mayor

Harrogate councillor Paul Haslam has resigned as a Conservative to stand as an independent candidate in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.

Mr Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire Council, has set up the website haslam4mayor.com for his campaign.

The website says he is “free from party shackles” and “committed to fighting for North Yorkshire’s best interests”. It says the national government “has ignored the north of England and in particular our area”, adding:

“A decade as a local councillor has given Paul a deep and nuanced understanding of York and North Yorkshire’s community needs and the intricate workings of council”.

Mr Haslam, who is the council’s climate change champion, said his priorities included securing fair, inclusive and lasting economic growth, creating higher paid jobs, improving public transport and more affordable housing.

His website added:

“His extensive 25-year career as a director, management consultant and CEO — having recently managed the sale to a FTSE250 company for £82.5 million — has honed his strategic vision and financial acumen, crucial for addressing the economic hurdles of the area.”

Keen runner Mr Haslam, who is taking part in next month’s London marathon, said he would run across the region on foot as part of his campaign.

He said this demonstrated his commitment to reducing the carbon footprint. Conservative candidate Keane Duncan is conducting a 100-day tour of the county in a campervan.

Tories grip on North Yorkshire weakens 

Mr Haslam’s decision to leave the Conservatives means the Tories now have 44 of 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council — fewer than half.

The party shored up its control last year by convincing three independents, including Ripon Minster and Moorside Cllr Andrew Williams, to join a Conservatives and Independents group.

But Mr Haslam’s departure again has weakened the Tories’ grip.

The mayoral election will take place on May 2.

Mr Haslam will be up against Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Conservative Keane Duncan, Green candidate Kevin Foster, Labour’s David Skaith and independent Keith Tordoff.

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New Knaresborough primary school delayed until 2026

An opening of new primary school in Knaresborough is expected to be delayed until September 2026.

The school, which will be run by Elevate Multi Academy Trust, is  to be built at Manse Farm and serve pupils from new housing developments in the area.

It will provide 210 places for pupils, with the capacity to be expanded to 420.

North Yorkshire County Council unveiled plans for the school in 2020 as part of proposals “to serve housing growth”.

It was initially planned to open in September 2022, but was delayed twice until September 2024.

The council previously said that the project had been delayed due to an overhead electric cable that runs across the land where the school is due to be built. 

It added that a sub-station needed to be built on the land and the cable diverted before the site could be transferred to the authority.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, told a Harrogate and Knaresborough area committee on Thursday that work was still progressing on resolving those matters.

She said:

“What I am aware of is that the earliest that school could be delivered at the moment is September 26.

“Once the primary allocations have been distributed in April, we will again review the data and look at the forecasts and gain an understanding of the timescales around that delivery and what it means to pupil cohorts and whether we need to put other provision in.

“As far as things stand at the moment, I understand that work is progressing around the issues that have been long standing at the site. There is still that commitment to deliver this project at the appropriate time.”

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The new school is expected to cost £6 million and serve up to 1,000 homes as part of the nearby Manse Farm developments.

Knaresborough Town Council has previously expressed frustration at the lack of progress at the school site.

In December, a motion by Cllr Matt Walker, who sits on the town council and also represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, was approved to invite developer Taylor Wimpey “to provide an update on the transfer of land at Manse Farm housing estate to North Yorkshire Council so a primary school can be built”.