As a senior nurse at Marie Curie in North Yorkshire, Susan Ebbage is responsible for supporting both the charity’s staff and patients.

Ms Ebbage allocates nurses to patients after receiving daily updates on their health.

The nurses then visit the patient’s home, introduce themselves to the family and care for their loved one overnight, usually from 10pm to 7am.

Ms Ebbage, who works regularly across the Harrogate district, said:

“This allows the families to have some rest. Patients are reassured by their presence and family members are able to go to sleep. It’s an incredibly emotional time and therefore you can’t put a price on a night’s sleep.

“A lot of the families, particularly in Harrogate, live abroad and that can be horrible for them. It’s about identifying situations like this and trying to give them support where we can.”

Twenty five years

Ms Ebbage has been working in her current role for around eight years and has been with Marie Curie for 25 years.

She lives in the Yorkshire Dales, and while her role is often administrative, she still visits patients in the area when she is needed.

She said:

“I trained at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and was a community midwife. I always loved patient care. I love being able to support them and helping them be able to become independent and regain control. These are all things as human beings we dread being taken away from us.

“If people are dying or ill, I like being able to take good care of them so they don’t feel like a burden.”

Read more:

• ‘Everybody matters’: Marie Curie’s UK medical director on why she has the ‘best job in the world‘
• Charity Corner: the local charity supplying 36,000 wheelchairs worldwide

Ms Ebbage said a highlight of her Job was working with families who clearly love the person they are looking after.

But she added that there were also difficult issues that had to be dealt with.

‘Sorrows, sadness and regrets’

She said:

“I never tire of seeing families care for their own well. I get upset when I see families who aren’t interested. But you have to try and understand what has gone on. You listen to sorrows, sadness and regrets.

“We talk to people who tell us quite dark things at times. We have to ask them what to do with that. That might involve getting a minister to go and see them.

“We also have to keep an eye out for safeguarding. It’s not just about abuse or cruelty. Some are difficult to spot straight away. We have to make a case and follow that through.”

Ms Ebbage said the work of Marie Curie was really important.

She added:

“We have struggled like may other charities over the last two years. The nurses have been outstanding. Up to 300 nurses go out seven nights a week across the country.”

Co-ordinated approach

Ms Ebbage explained that the charity worked in conjunction with Saint Michael’s Hospice in the Harrogate area. They have meetings three times a week and share patients. Marie Curie also works with services and charities including Harrogate end of life co-ordination, NHS Continuing Healthcare and Macmillan Cancer Support.

She said:

“We have a co-ordinated approach to care in the Harrogate district. It’s really important and we have got that down to a fine T. In Harrogate there are a lot of care providers. This ensures people get the most appropriate care they need and we are not wasting resources.

Fundraiser

The Marie Curie Brain Game is returning to Yorkshire for a fourth time on Thursday, January 26 and for the first time in Harrogate in the newly refurbished Majestic Hotel & Spa.

Guests will be treated to a drinks reception before enjoying a gourmet three-course dinner. The celebrity-hosted quiz will run throughout the evening and guests will also have the opportunity to bid for exclusive lots in the live and silent auctions, and win prizes in the grand raffle.

This black-tie event invites companies from across Yorkshire to come and enjoy an evening of brain-teasing entertainment and battle it out in the ultimate corporate quiz to be crowned Yorkshire Brain Game champions.

To book a table, click here.

A councillor has expressed dismay as it emerged North Yorkshire stands to receive about a third of a penny per resident to boost active travel schemes this year, as part of Boris Johnson’s £2bn “walking and cycling revolution”.

An officers’ report to a meeting of senior North Yorkshire councillors and officers states the county has been offered £220,780 of the £30m on offer to develop active travel across England this year despite having received below average funding last year.

While neighbouring authorities in West Yorkshire and Teesside each received £1.3m in 2022, North Yorkshire was given just £207,683, which the council announced would be used to plug a shortfall in government funding for school Bikeability courses and to review several Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans.

The announcement follows the government rejecting the authority’s bid for a £116m share of its Bus Back Better initiative in its entirety, saying the North Yorkshire council had failed to show ambition.

Ahead of this year’s funding allocations being decided Active Travel England issued a social media post stating it wanted “to work with the willing and that means sharing our faith and the majority of our funding with councils that have the highest levels of leadership, ambition and ability to deliver”.

It said councils’ capability and ambition to deliver successfully, alongside their recent track record would inform the funding allocations for active travel schemes.

Read More:

• New crossing on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road to be installed next year
• Harrogate district single bus fares to be capped at £2

Of the £220,780 funding this year, the officers’ report states £143,000 could be spent on developing a route connecting Brayton to nearby Selby town centre and the rail station.

The remainder of the funding will be used to buy intelligent traffic sensors to gather data about walking and cycling and for behaviour change initiatives, such as travel planning at schools and marketing schemes.

The report states: 

“It is believed that all three elements will complement each other well. To meet the fund objective of sustained increases in walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys including to school and work we must focus on having shovel ready schemes ready for future capital funding.

“We must also focus behaviour change initiatives where infrastructure is being developed such as Harrogate, Skipton, Selby and Scarborough.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s Independent group leader, Cllr Stuart Parsons welcomed that the funding was due to be spent somewhere other than Harrogate, following numerous transport schemes being focused on the county’s biggest population centre in recent years.

He said: 

“It would be nice if they could try to remember Scarborough, Ryedale, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Craven next time they are given money. In fairness, to have spread that amount of money across the whole of North Yorkshire would have been laughable.

“A third of a penny a person is not going to make a huge difference in most locations. We can celebrate that we are getting a footpath, but for active travel and connectivity in North Yorkshire it is a very disappointing total.”

This week’s photograph was taken by Alistair Hay while out walking his dog Indi, capturing the sunset from the Follifoot dismantled Railway.

Alistair Hay

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

When Harrogate Borough Council is abolished in April, the first signs of political change in the district will come to fruition.

This year, we can also expect to hear more about the £540 million devolution deal for North Yorkshire which has been agreed in principle.

But what happens now with devolution and when can we expect to see a new mayor and combined authority that comes with the deal?

What happens from April?

On April 1, Harrogate Borough Council will no longer exist.

It will be replaced by North Yorkshire Council, which is replacing all seven district authorities and North Yorkshire County Council.

It means that council tax will be paid to the new council and services, assets and planning decisions will be transferred to the new authority.

What about the devolution deal?

The £540 million devolution deal, which includes a directly elected mayor for North Yorkshire and York, has been agreed in principle.

A public consultation on the deal was completed last month.

However, it still has to be ratified by both City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

It is expected that this will come before both councils in February 2023 to decide whether to proceed with the deal.

When will a mayor for North Yorkshire be elected?

Councillors still need to agree to the devolution deal in order to start setting up the office of an elected mayor for North Yorkshire.

Both councils can then undertake a governance review in order to create the position of mayor.

According to the timetable outlined in the devolution deal agreed between City of York Council, the county council and government, a mayor could be elected in May 2024, should all go ahead.

What about the combined authority?

As part of a devolution deal which was announced this week, a combined authority will be set up for North Yorkshire and York.

The move will be historic for the county as it joins Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Tees Valley in setting up such an authority.

A combined authority is a body set up for two or more councils to make joint decisions.

In this case, the upcoming North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council would come together to make decisions on matters such as economic development and transport.

Should it be given the go-ahead, a combined authority could be set up for North Yorkshire and York by autumn this year.

Read more:

• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials
• North Yorkshire leaders set up devolution decision making body

Next year will see the start of seismic political changes in North Yorkshire.

On April 1, seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, will be abolished, along with North Yorkshire County Council. and be replaced by a new unitary authority called North Yorkshire Council.

These changes will pave the way for something potentially even more significant in 2024, when North Yorkshire is likely to elect a mayor and become the 11th place in England to get a combined authority.

Words like ‘combined authority’, ‘devolution’ and ‘mayor’ don’t slip down as easily as mulled wine at Christmas and the temptation is to ignore them.

But James Farrar, chief operating officer of York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, thinks the political changes will bring economic benefits — especially to those who grasp the significance of what’s going on. Mr Farrar says:

“This is huge. There will be significant investment on an ongoing basis right across North Yorkshire.”

Mr Farrar, who is from Huby and went to primary school in North Rigton and secondary school in Harrogate, heads one of 38 local enterprise partnerships.

LEPs sit between local and national government to stimulate economic growth. York and North Yorkshire LEP, which employs 40 staff, is mainly funded by £375,000 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and £250,000 from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

It invests in capital infrastructure that provides conditions for growth, such as the upgrade of junction 47 on the A1(M) at Flaxby. It also invests in skills and business support.

Right now, devolution is by far the biggest game in town.

James Farrar

Mr Farrar, who has worked in economic regeneration for two decades, pinpoints two major benefits — long-term funding and a closer dialogue with national government. He says:

“Currently organisations are constantly bidding for funding from government for one, three or five years. When you are constantly bidding it’s very hard to take long-term strategic decisions. Thirty-year funding gives certainty. Having been stuck in a cycle of short-term bidding, it will make a massive difference.

“Also, areas with mayors have a constant dialogue with government. It will put us round that top table. There will be an ongoing, permanent relationship between North Yorkshire and Whitehall.”

Mr Farrar describes the proposed 30-year, £540 million devolution deal, which is expected to be ratified in the new year, as “a really, really good deal compared to what other areas got at the beginning”.

It will mean an £18 million a year mayoral investment fund, plus there will be separate funding for specific areas such as transport. He says it will “enhance rather than erode” the powers of North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, which will continue to handle areas such as highways and planning.

Read more:

• Devolution could end ‘half a century of under investment’ in Ripon
• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials

The creation of a mayoral combined authority has led to fears too much power will be concentrated in too few hands.

The authority will be chaired by the mayor and have two members each from North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council plus the chair of the LEP.

Mr Farrar says the fact the mayor will need re-electing to maintain office will act as a democratic check on his or her power.

‘Be on the front foot’

Mr Farrar, whose brother still farms in Huby, acknowledges people will only value devolution “when they see real change” but he insists it’s coming.

He also thinks businesses and councils need to be ready.

“My message to any area is it’s important to be clear about your priorities. Think about what investment they need to make sure town centres are vibrant, what will make businesses want to relocate there and what are the barriers to that.

“My experience is that places with a plan attract investment. If you wait for the money you will be waiting a long time. Be on the front foot.

“We have some amazing towns in North Yorkshire but they are going through a lot of problems and change. Their USP is the quality of places and if they get this right they will see significant progress.”

Mr Farrar also predicts a “big change in agriculture because of environmental changes and leaving the EU”, which will have a particularly significant impact on rural North Yorkshire and further reshape the county’s economy.

But he insists the outcome of all the changes will be worth it, with more prosperous towns and a more politically tuned in county. He also reiterates a point he made in a speech to Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce last month — that there are  successful businesses in York looking to relocate and alert nearby towns in the Harrogate district could benefit.

The LEP is based in York and Mr Farrar says:

“York is constrained by its geographical size. We have businesses wanting to grow and we don’t want them to move outside the area. Whether it’s Knaresborough or Boroughbridge in the Harrogate district or somewhere else like Selby and Easingwold, there are opportunities to be part of that growth.”

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the May elections and the signing of a multi-million pound devolution deal.

From senior councillors being ousted to council chiefs putting pen to paper on a deal which will change the scope of politics in the district forever, the last 12 months proved to be a seismic year for the Harrogate district.

While much of the major change in local government will come in 2023, the past year has been full of landmarks which have paved the way for what is to come.

In May, the electorate voted with their feet and opted to vote out some senior Harrogate councillors.

Among the political casualties were Conservative Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, who failed in his bid to get a seat on the new North Yorkshire Council.

With the borough council being abolished in four months time, a seat on the new authority would have helped he Tories keep a grip on local power.

But while some were turned down by the public, other seasoned politicians decided the upcoming shake-up of local government was their last stand.

Conservative Graham Swift gave a consolation speech after failing to win a seat on North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Richard Cooper, Conservative leader of the borough council, decided against standing.

Meanwhile, long-standing county councillor and highways chief, Cllr Don Mackenzie, called time on his political career.

The move was symbolic and suggested changing times for local Conservatives and the political make-up of Harrogate.

Devolution

But while there were gains for the opposition Liberal Democrats locally – some aspects of local governance remained the same.

Conservative Cllr Carl Les was re-elected leader of North Yorkshire County Council unopposed and will go on heading the council into April.

Part of his reasoning for standing was to get over the line a £540 million devolution deal for the county and oversee the biggest shake-up of local government since 1974.

Pictured: Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Greg Clark MP and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council sign the document.

Cllr Les, who has sat on the authority for 25 years and been leader for seven, was among the political leaders present in York in August when council officials signed on the dotted line with the then levelling up minister, Greg Clark.

The deal has lit a bomb under the political landscape, with an elected mayor and combined authority promised for the coming years.

Along with the abolition of the borough council, it could prove to be pivotal for the future economic prospects of the district.

Read more:

• £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal looks set to progress, say officials
• North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?
• North Yorkshire leaders set up devolution decision making body

A consultation over a planned £540 million devolution deal for North Yorkshire is set to end today.

In August, county council leaders agreed a proposed deal with ministers to devolve more powers, including an elected mayor, to North Yorkshire and York.

The deal would see £18 million-worth of funding each year devolved to the county over 30 years and pave the way for a mayor and combined authority in 2024.

A consultation was launched in October to seek views from the public, businesses and charity organisations.

The survey will close today.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“We really need the public to come forward and give us their views on what is important to them and how devolution can benefit communities and businesses across York and North Yorkshire.

“The chance to secure these decision-making powers and millions of pounds in funding from the government is set to prove a life-changing opportunity for more than 800,000 people who live and work in York and North Yorkshire.

“Devolution will give local leaders the chance to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing people in York and North Yorkshire – whether that be providing more affordable housing, improving skills and education for better job opportunities, boosting transport infrastructure or tackling the climate crisis.”

You can have your say on the deal here.

What is in the deal?

As part of the devolution deal, a mayoral combined authority would be formed with a directly-elected mayor by May 2024.

It would mirror similar arrangements in the Tees Valley, where Conservative mayor Ben Houchen oversees the combined authority.

While the planned North Yorkshire deal brings £540 million worth of investment funding, it is lower than the original £750 million requested by local leaders.

Read More:

• Have devolution fears that Harrogate will be voiceless come true?
• Mayor for North Yorkshire agreed in £540m historic devolution deal
• North Yorkshire’s devolution deal: What’s in it and how will it work?

However, more power over skills and transport will be devolved.

It will see whoever is elected mayor and the new combined authority have control over the adult education budget and the ability to draw up its own transport strategy.

Control over bus franchising has also been granted to the county and the power to set up Mayoral Development Corporations, which have the power to buy land for housing or employment to regenerate a defined area.

A Ripon teacher died after an accidental fall in the Italian Dolomites, a coroner has ruled.

Louise Atkinson, 55, of North Stainley, was trekking with her partner in the Tires Valley, Bolzano, in northern Italy, when she fell to her death on July 24 this year.

An inquest today heard that Ms Atkinson and John Dickinson, who had both been to the area four years prior, were heading on a more difficult route after their original path had changed due to a new restaurant development.

In a statement given to the court, which was read by coroner Catherine Cundy, Mr Dickinson said the pair took a different path “hoping to find a route we were familiar with”.

He said:

“It became difficult and we stopped and decided to return to the cafe.”

The inquest heard Ms Atkinson was about 20 feet behind Mr Dickinson.

After deciding to turn back, Mr Dickinson then heard her lose her step and slip off the cliff.

He said:

“I turned around and called her name. I could not reach her and she slipped off the cliff edge.”

The inquest heard Ms Atkinson rolled about 35 metres down the mountain. 

Two young walkers alerted the Italian emergency services and a mountain rescue helicopter was called out to the scene.

The commander of the mountain service said in a statement to the coroner that “serious injuries to her body” led to Ms Atkinson’s death.

Read more:

• Ripon teacher dies after falling on hike in Italian Dolomites
• Amazon driver on Snapchat jailed for causing death of Ripon biker

He added Mr Dickinson had “tried in vain” to save her following the fall.

A post-mortem carried out by Elzer Tjio, of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, concluded the cause of death was a traumatic brain injury.

Ms Cundy concluded that Ms Atkinson’s death was an accident likely to have been caused by her losing her footing on the route.

She said:

“I am satisfied that on balance it is more likely than not that she fell in the circumstances that I have described.”

‘An amazing teacher’

Following her death, tributes were paid to Ms Atkinson, who was a teacher at Roecliffe Church of England School near Boroughbridge and St Wilfrid’s Catholic School in Ripon.

One person posted:

“Heartbreaking news. This is so sad. She taught both our sons at Roecliffe. She was an amazing teacher and a lovely kind lady. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and pupils.”

Another said:

“Such sad news. My son loved her as a teacher and came home every Friday full of stories of what she taught him that day. Condolences to all her family and friends. RIP.”

This article is sponsored by Harrogate Family Law.

Coercive control is a form of domestic abuse in which a person attempts to exert an unreasonable, oppressive amount of control over their partner’s life.

Harrogate Family Law are specialists in this area and they are helping a growing number to resolve the difficult situation.

Abuse does not have to be physical or sexual to be an offence. Coercive control can include emotional and psychological abuse and can be very subtle, so is harder to identify.

By its very nature, coercive control can instil confusion and self-doubt in the victim, but Harrogate Family Law can help you be clear about what is taking place and prepare a safe route out of the situation for you and your family.

Andrew Meehan, director of Harrogate Family Law, said:

“We are getting clients from all over the country who are married to a controlling, narcissistic spouse. They have often been controlled financially and emotionally and have been kept in the dark about money. They often don’t have a clear picture of how much things cost and how they can afford to pay for things.

“We can offer advice and help them to move forward with a secure financial future.”

What are the signs of coercive control?

There are clear indications that the relationship you are in has spiralled towards coercive control, even if you have received no physical harm and the relationship is not necessarily “toxic”.

Coercive control happens when:

• You are isolated from your support system, i.e. family and friends
• Your activity is being monitored all day everyday – known as invasive surveillance
• Your freedom and autonomy is being denied – such as access to money or health and body freedom
• You are subjected to name-calling, shaming or criticism
• Your children are being turned against you, known as parental alienation
• You are subjected to jealous accusations

Mr Meehan has offered his three top tips on what to do if you think you are a victim of coercive control.

You are not alone

“There are a lot of people in the same situation. They are often conditioned to think there is no way out for them and they are effectively trapped.

“But their situation is something we see a lot of and something we can sort out for them. The situation is not hopeless.”

Get legal advice early 

“We have a niche in dealing with people who have been controlled by spouses or those who are married to a narcissist. We have got clients from all over the country and overseas looking for our expertise.

“Speak to a solicitor who understands how to deal with these kinds of people.”

Everyone’s situation is different

“Try to come to your first meeting as prepared as possible so that the advice we give can be as tailored to your circumstances as much as possible.

“This is difficult if your finances are being controlled. However, have a think about what you do know and we can take things from there. We can then be prepared to deal with what is most important to you.”

For a confidential chat with one of Harrogate Family Law’s expert solicitors regarding coercive control, call 01423 594 680 or email enquiries@harrogatefamilylaw.co.uk

A proposed devolution deal, which would include creating an elected mayor and a mayoral combined authority for North Yorkshire and York, looks set to receive sufficient public support to proceed.

James Farrar, chief officer of the North Yorkshire and York Local Enterprise Partnership, told a meeting of council leaders that the majority of respondents had backed the proposed deal. He was speaking with just seven days remaining of an eight-week consultation.

Mr Farrar’s comments to a meeting of North Yorkshire and York’s council leaders followed some anxiety and uncertainty being expressed privately by those behind the proposed deal, particularly after apparent strong public opposition to creating a mayoral combined authority in Cornwall threw the devolution process there into uncertainty.

In recent months, North Yorkshire and York councils have put effort into promoting the benefits of the deal.

Although some high-profile opposition councillors have branded the proposals undemocratic and unrepresentative, there has not been a concerted campaign opposing the deal.

Mr Farrar said the support rate for the devolution deal, which was unveiled on Yorkshire Day in August and includes a £540 million investment fund to be spent over 30 years, had varied little throughout the exercise.

He added: 

“It gives us a good indication of where we will be with a week to go.”

Read more:

• Harrogate council chief executive set for £101,000 redundancy pay-out
• Questions raised as Harrogate Royal Baths loses £2.5m in value
• North Yorkshire leaders set up devolution decision making body

Although North Yorkshire and York’s combined population totals significantly above 800,000 residents, Mr Farrar described the 1,750 replies to the consultation so far as “a really good response rate” compared to similar devolution surveys in other areas.

He said the responses had come from all parts of the county and York.

Mr Farrar told the meeting the strongest support for the devolution deal was for the mayoral combined authority to directly engage with government over creating the country’s first net-zero region, initiatives to tackle climate change and the promotion of landscape restoration schemes.

Bus franchising powers

He said there was also strong support for devolving transport powers, such as giving an elected mayor functions such as powers to introduce bus franchising and the combined authority powers to set up and coordinate a key route network.

Mr Farrar said: 

“Not surprisingly, the area which is of most concern is financial powers.”

The consultation highlights that the mayor would have the power to set a precept on council tax to fund mayoral functions as well as the power to introduce a supplement on business rates for expenditure on projects that will promote economic development.

Mr Farrar said the National Institute for Consultation would independently analyse responses to the consultation, which would be presented to both councils in February for them to decided whether to proceed with the devolution deal.

You can have your say on the proposed devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York here.

Pictured: Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Greg Clark MP and Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council sign the devolution document in August.