Health officials say there are early signs covid infection levels are “creeping up” in North Yorkshire, although rates remain low, ahead of the key decision on whether to end all restrictions on June 21.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, told a briefing today that the county was “giving every inch of its fibre” to fully unlock on that date but a small rise in cases needed to be brought “under control”.

Harrogate, Scarborough, Hambleton and Craven all saw a slight increase in weekly infection rates at the end of May, while Richmondshire and Selby recorded a decline and Ryedale remained without a single case.

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalised with covid across the county remains low at 10, while more than 494,000 people have now received their first vaccine and 339,000 their second.

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Speaking at today’s North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum briefing, Mr Webb said:

“We are unfortunately seeing some creeping up of the figures nationally and locally. The overall average position across North Yorkshire is 14 cases per 100,000 – that has crept up slightly as has the England average of 32.

“We need to get this under control and manageable going forward so that we can unlock further on June 21.

“The decision is in the hands of the national politicians and they have very clearly said they are going to look at data which comes through in the next fortnight.

“But we can have real confidence in vaccinations – there are very high levels of take up in North Yorkshire and we want everyone possible to have those two doses as that is our best defence against current and previous variants of this virus.”

Indian variant

Today’s briefing also heard how the so-called Indian variant of covid, now known as Delta, was still in “small numbers” in North Yorkshire and had not become the dominant strain unlike some areas of the country.

Areas including Bolton, Blackburn and Bedford have seen a large spike in cases of the more transmissible variant which has led to some concerns that there could be a delay to the end of all lockdown restrictions set to be decided by ministers on 14 June.

With this recent rise in cases, the next week or two will be crucial in seeing whether and by how much it pushes up the numbers of hospital admissions and deaths.

The difference this time – compared with previous waves – is the vaccine, which should be breaking the link between infection and illness.

Mr Webb added:

“The big game changer here is the vaccination rollout which has been so successful, but we have seen flare-ups in other parts of the country and we still need to be a bit cautious.

“I have talked before about living with covid – we are going to have to adjust as a society to having these flare-ups.

“Hands, face, space and fresh air – they are all really important. If we continue to do that and get our vaccines then these are the best things we can do to stop the spread of this virus.”

The latest Public Health England data shows Scarborough had an infection rate of 24 cases per 100,000 people on May 29, while the figure for Harrogate stood at 17, Craven 16, Selby 13, Hambleton 13, Richmondshire 4 and Ryedale 0.

Public health bosses are to examine why North Yorkshire’s covid vaccine uptake is significantly above the national average.

They will use the findings to tackle concerns over declining uptake of other jabs, such as MMR and meningitis.

North Yorkshire County Council‘s director of public health Louise Wallace told a meeting of the council’s executive one focus would be on whether transport and the location of vaccination centres had made it easy for residents to access Pfizer and Astra-Zeneca vaccines used in the county.

She was speaking just two days after the authority announced it would close vaccination sites at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground and Ripon Racecourse in August, saying mobile vaccination units would help to target areas reporting a sudden surge in covid cases.

A report to the meeting stated some 64.98% of the county’s population, excluding children, have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine, compared to the average rate across England of 53.38%.

The council and the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum have been providing logistical support around venues, transportation, volunteers and waste disposal for the vaccination programme, which is being overseen by the multi-agency North Yorkshire and York Vaccination Assurance Group, chaired by Ms Wallace.

The group aims to identify where there may be low levels in vaccine uptake and implement interventions to ensure equity in the vaccination rollout across North Yorkshire and York.

After hearing of the relatively high rate of covid vaccine uptake in the county,  the council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee chairman Councillor John Ennis asked whether officials would use the lessons learned as a springboard to tackle recognised low take-up rates of other vaccinations in the county, such as MMR.

The latest NHS digital figures, which were published in September 2019, show while coverage had continued to decline in all routine vaccinations across the country, North Yorkshire had a lower uptake than a number of its neighbours.

Read more:

• Total vaccine doses in Harrogate district near 170,000
• More than 100,000 people have first covid vaccine in Harrogate district

The county’s vaccination uptake rate for the two-dose MMR vaccine stood at 89% compared to 96% in County Durham and close to 95% in areas such as north Lincolnshire and Barnsley.

Medics have warned falling childhood immunisation rates risk a resurgence of deadly and life-changing diseases of the past. Public health experts have advised successful vaccination programmes need a “system-wide approach” saying services had become “fragmented” since changes were made to public health commissioning in 2012.

While Ms Wallace’s predecessor last year warned the county’s public health services were facing difficult choices due to cuts in Government funding, she told the meeting she would be prioritising vaccination programmes.

She said the authority had used its experiences from previous vaccination programmes, such as flu and MMR, to maximise coverage with the covid vaccine.

Ms Wallace said:

“We will be taking some of the lessons that we’ve learnt and looking at why this vaccination programme has got quite a high uptake overall

“We have got quite a lot of learning as to why people bought into this and we will be looking at why some people have vaccine hesitancy and try and myth-bust.”

North Yorkshire’s new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has announced a review of the county’s controversial and unique mobile speed camera van system.

Speaking yesterday to the media outside the police force’s headquarters in Northallerton, Conservative Philip Allott outlined his priorities ahead of taking up office.

Mr Allott, from Knaresborough, was elected to the role, which is paid a £74,400 salary, last week with a majority of 30,295 votes on first and second preferences.

Signalling a determination to take his oversight of both emergency services in a different direction to that of his fellow Tory predecessor Julia Mulligan, Mr Allott said there were “big concerns” over camera vans, which have multiplied since they were first introduced in 2011.

Despite the force’s insistence the vans are deployed at accident black spots, widespread concerns have persisted for a decade that they are being sited at places to maximise the revenue they generate rather than improve safety.

Mr Allott said:

“People say the camera vans are in the wrong locations. People say their village doesn’t get a camera van. People say there are other solutions.”

He declined to elaborate on the concerns, but added:

“There will be a rethink in terms of how that is handled and that will be something that involves a consultation process.”

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County lines the top priority

In another apparent change in direction, he said he wanted to strengthen ties with councils and other bodies. He said the commissioner’s office could not work in isolation to tackle issues such as county lines drug dealers, which he ranked as his leading priority, or antisocial behaviour.

The commissioner said he would seek to forge closer partnerships with schools to identify children who act as couriers and with social services to identify vulnerable people whose homes may be used as county lines bases.

He said there were now 47 active county lines networks operating in the county, representing a huge increase on 14 months ago when Ms Mulligan revealed there were 11 drug supply lines from urban areas such as Cleveland, West Yorkshire, Liverpool and Manchester affecting North Yorkshire.

Mr Allott said:

“It is a community issue. Unfortunately during the pandemic recreational drugs has seen an increase in some activity. That’s something we need to deal with.”

The commissioner said while prosecuting county lines dealers would be a priority, he stressed treating the victims of drugs would be a focus for him.

He added:

“The victims are often the drug takers themselves who often end up in a downward spiral.”

He also pledged to put the needs of victims and vulnerable people above others, saying talks were under way about improving the connections between North Yorkshire and York’s CCTV coverage. He said actions to improve safety for women, both on the street and domestically, would be pursued.

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Rural crime response needs beefing up

However, the first of an extensive list of priorities that Mr Allott outlined was work to improve responses to rural crimes, such as hare coursing, thefts from farms, by strengthening the Rural Taskforce, with more officers.

During campaigning, a number of candidates highlighted how the Rural Taskforce was currently incapable of properly covering England’s largest county because it included only a handful of officers based in York.

He said the county’s size and rurality could be a key factor in many issues that both the police and fire service faced.

To respond to this, Mr Allott said he would examine increasing the number of multi-service officers who act as on-call firefighters, PCSOs and first responders in rural locations.

He said a trial of multi-service officers in Craven had proved to be “a great success”.

Mr Allott said:

“That is almost a modern day version of the village constable. That means somebody’s within that community and living within five minutes of the fire station.

“Because there’s funding there to fund that as a full-time job, it gives somebody an opportunity to be a firefighter who wouldn’t otherwise be able to do it.”

Newer fire engines needed

Nevertheless he said as the county’s fire service, which has been described as among the worst funded brigades in the country, had an “elderly fleet of vehicles” and a lack of equipment for staff, he would hold “honest discussions” with the government.

He said:

“We need to give the fire service the tools so they can do the job and do it well. We have to put together a concrete case as to why the government’s funding formula discriminates against us.

“We have got the biggest county in England with massive borders and lot of parks and green space between residential areas.”

North Yorkshire councils facing reorganisation have spent almost £330,000 of taxpayers’ cash on consultants to help fight their corner on the future of key services, it’s been revealed.

A government-run consultation on the reorganisation plans, which will see Harrogate Borough Council abolished, has this week come to a close.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is set to make a decision this summer on whether a single authority for all of the county or two bodies split on an east/west basis should replace the current two-tier system.

People in the Harrogate district currently pay for services provided by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

The aim is to save money by bringing all council services including highways, planning and education under the control of a streamlined structure, but leaders are deeply divided and can not agree how to go about it.

It has meant the seven district councils – including Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Craven, Hambleton, Ryedale and Richmondshire – have spent around £240,000 on consultants in support of their joint east/west bid, although Hambleton has since pulled out.

North Yorkshire County Council has used just under £90,000 for its single authority proposal.

Councillor Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“This was an extensive piece of work requiring professional input, public consultation and modelling. The costs of the work were shared between all the district councils in North Yorkshire and represent a tiny fraction of our overall budgets.

“Looking after the elderly, children with exceptional needs, the homeless and those least fortunate in our society isn’t something we can leave to chance.

“That is why it was important for all seven councils to contribute to make sure we got this right. And we have.”

But the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council has criticised the almost £330,000 spends from all councils, saying public cash has been “wasted” on “Tory infighting”.

Group leader councillor Pat Marsh said:

“Many people will see this as their own political interests, rather than giving much-needed investment to our local services.”

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Councillor Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“The reason we have used consultants is because we are talking about very big proposals which involve a lot of money.

“The county council has a budget of over half a billion pounds and if you add in another £100m on top of that from the districts, there is a need to make sure our assumptions are correct.

“We wanted to be sure our plans are solid as they can possibly be, and they are.”

Process complete by April 2023

North Yorkshire County Council used consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, while the districts employed the services of KPMG .

They each produced lengthy reports on how services should be managed and public cash spent under the reorganisation plans, which are linked to a potential multi-billion pound devolution deal with the government.

City of York Council, which wants to remain a unitary council under the county bid, did not use any consultants as part of the process but did spend £6,400 on an agency firm, as well as £5,500 on a market research organisation to conduct polling.

Elections for county councillors are being held across England next month but not in North Yorkshire due to the reorganisation plans.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, it is expected that any new North Yorkshire unitary council or councils would be fully operational from April 2023, with transitional arrangements and elections to the new structure set to take place in 2022.

Police are warning motorhome and campervan owners in North Yorkshire to take extra precautions, after numerous reports of suspicious activity.

The force said today there had been a spate of incidents across the county involving cold callers approaching vehicle owners and asking to buy them – even though they are not for sale.

In each case, a man or two men knock on the door and ask the homeowner if they can buy the campervan or motorhome and look inside.

Most incidents have been in the Selby area but police fear it could be happening across North Yorkshire.

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Inspector Clive Turner, of North Yorkshire Police’s rural task force, said:

“Please remember, you aren’t obliged to buy anything from or sell anything to doorstep callers.

“Rogue traders often try to take advantage of householders by using high-pressure sales techniques, or may even be looking for opportunities to steal vehicles or property.

“It’s clear that a group of people are deliberately visiting homes in North Yorkshire with campervans parked outside.

“We have been able to respond to reports of suspicious activity by increasing patrols and visiting homes to gather evidence and provide advice.”

Police also released the following advice to prevent the theft of motorhomes:

• Write your vehicle identification number in several hidden places within the camper van.
• Always lock all doors and windows every time you leave your campervan.
• Do not leave personal or valuable items on display inside the vehicle. Consider forensic and security marking your personal items.
• Fix lock nuts or wheel clamps to the wheels.
• Block in the campervan behind a locked gate, or with another vehicle parked in front of it.
• Fit a tracking device and an alarm, and switch this on every time you leave your campervan
• Call police on 101 to report suspicious people and vehicles appearing to take an interest in campervans or other high-value vehicles. If a crime is in progress, dial 999.

House prices in North Yorkshire have increased by 22.8% over the last 10 years, according to new research.

A study by The Search Partnership, which tracks property prices in six areas in the county, found that the trend was consistent with areas such as London and the Home Counties.

The research analyses the average price paid per square foot, as recorded by the Land Registry, in Boroughbridge, Harrogate, Thirsk, Wetherby, Ripon and Bedale.

Toby Milbank, director at The Search Partnership, said the increase was on average about 2.28% per year.  Mr Milbank said the company expected to see high market activity as the lockdown eases. He said:

“At the end of the last lockdown, we saw frenetic activity in the housing and land markets.

“With the roadmap to the end of the current lockdown coinciding with the Spring and Summer market, we are expecting a similar period of high activity. Buyers currently have very low levels of stock to choose from and are cash rich, with little else to spend their savings on.

“Banks are offering 90% and even 95% mortgages, which will fuel the lower end of the market in particular. As a result of these factors, we are predicting higher rates of price growth than in previous years and an increase in average house prices of 3% to 4% in 2021 seems likely.”

Research by The Search Partnership includes properties in Harrogate, Ripon and Boroughbridge.

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David Waddington, director of land and new homes at Linley and Simpson, said quality of life and rural areas was among the key factors for people buying property in the county.

He said:

“North Yorkshire has retained an affluence that is more indicative to the south than the north.

“Harrogate itself has retained a strong appeal for those wanting everything on their doorstep.”

Mr Waddington said the HG3 postcode in Harrogate was a popular location. He added that a lot of buyers moving to Yorkshire were from the south of England.

In North Yorkshire, 95% of families have secured their first choice of primary school for their child.

Today, many families will have breathed a sigh of relief after receiving news of where their child will attend primary school in September.

A total of 94.91% of families received a place at their first-choice school and 98% got one of their top three preferences.

One Stray Ferret reader said she was “over the moon” her daughter had been offered a place at their preferred school.

Another got in touch to say their child would also be starting at their first-choice school in the next academic year, but remarked that her child had grown up so fast as they still “seem too little”.

Similar high percentages were seen in March when older children received their high school places. Nine out of ten children in the county secured a place at their first-choice high school.

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Stuart Carlton, corporate director of children and young people’s services, said:

“We are pleased that so many families continue to gain the first preference from their choice of schools and that the percentage remains consistently high.

“As a local authority we work hard with all North Yorkshire schools to ensure they deliver the highest standards of education so that families who are not given first preferences can still send their children to good schools.

“We wish all children starting primary school in September all the best and hope they experience a happy and exciting start in their new schools.”

A woman near Harrogate and a man in Ripon were caught almost three times over the drink-drive limit during an Easter weekend roads blitz by North Yorkshire Police.

Elsewhere in the district, a motorbike passenger had to be airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after coming off a bike in Pateley Bridge.

North Yorkshire Police released details of the incidents yesterday after stepping-up its presence on the roads over the four-day weekend.

Units were deployed to popular tourist areas, including the Dales, for the operation, codenamed Op Boundary.

It was prompted by the easing of some lockdown restrictions, sunny weather and the long weekend.

Eighty traffic offence reports were issued for offences including using mobile phones while driving, speeding and ignoring red lights.

A speed check over the weekend.

Eight vehicles were seized for having no licence or insurance.

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Traffic Sergeant Pete Stringer, who led Op Boundary, said:

“We’ve dealt with some serious road offences over the last few days and Op Boundary allowed us to focus on reducing collisions in key areas and keeping the roads as safe as possible.

“But it also meant our units were strategically deployed so they could tackle other offences, such as theft and burglary, which involve the use of our road network.

“North Yorkshire’s roads aren’t racetracks and anyone who uses them illegally will be dealt with as robustly as possible. This is just the start of this intensive and hard-hitting campaign and we’ll continue this approach throughout the summer.”

North Yorkshire’s vaccine drive is to focus on the over-50s and vulnerable people yet to come forward for a vaccine rather than moving on to the under-50s.

Amanda Bloor, chief accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a press briefing today the county’s take-up of the vaccine in the first nine cohorts was 88.5%.

However, she said there was still 11.5% – about 47,000 people – who had yet to come forward.

Ms Bloor said those people have either been invited to book an appointment but chose not to or their invitation was on its way.

She said health bosses wanted to get the “maximum coverage possible” before the rollout moves onto the under-50s.

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Addressing North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, Ms Bloor said:

“I just want to stress the point that we encourage everyone who is invited to come for a vaccination to take up that offer to protect not just themselves, but also their wider communities, their families and their loved ones.

“I can’t stress enough that anyone who has had an invitation for a vaccination and chose at that time not to come forward can now come forward and get that vaccination.”

Ms Bloor said the CCG wanted to “maximise the uptake” of the vaccine in those nine cohorts. Anyone yet to have a jab in those groups can contact their GP or use the national booking system.

As part of the focus, the CCG will review take-up in care home staff as well as encouraging those in Eastern European, homeless and travelling communities to receive the vaccine.

Yesterday, Sue Peckitt, chief nursing officer at North Yorkshire CCG, said that some GPs would offer spare vaccines to under-50s.

But no indication has yet been given on when vaccines will be fully rolled out to under-50s.

Ms Bloor said the government had assured the CCG there would be enough supply to vaccinate those aged 18 to 49 by the end of July.

So far, the county has vaccinated 410,000 people with a first dose and 48,000 have had a second dose.

In the Harrogate district, latest figures show 82,118 people have received a first vaccine – more than half the district’s population.

Rural areas of the Harrogate district could find it easier to get covid tests after North Yorkshire was chosen for a national pilot scheme.

North Yorkshire County Council approached the Department of Health and Social Care to get a mobile unit taking tests to the most sparsely populated areas.

The government agreed, and a van is now travelling from town to town across North Yorkshire, delivering lateral flow testing kits to families.

The service complements the five static testing sites in North Yorkshire, which are in the Dragon Road car park in Harrogate, as well as at sites in Northallerton, Selby, Scarborough, Skipton.

Anyone in a household or bubble, including students and staff at nurseries, schools or colleges is able to pick up a maximum of 14 test kits from the van.

Local health leaders said the county’s rural nature required an innovative response to make sure everyone, including those with limited transport options, could access testing locally.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at the council, said:

“Around a third of people with covid do not have any symptoms so the aim of regular asymptomatic testing is to help to uncover hidden cases of the virus and stop further transmissions, preventing outbreaks before they occur.”

Read more:

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The service is not intended for people with symptoms of coronavirus, but by allowing the families of young people in school and education settings to test regularly it is hoped it will help to limit the virus from spreading.

On its first day, in Settle, the van arrived to a queue of 30 people already waiting to receive their tests. Each person is given two boxes of seven test kits.

The unit is stocked with 1,000 boxes for each daily run.

Matthew Robinson, North Yorkshire’s head of resilience and emergencies, said:

“We asked if we could pilot this scheme and we are really delighted to have been given a mobile deployment unit. Wherever that unit is, eligible people can go and get lateral flow tests.”

In Harrogate, the Dragon Road testing site has begun accepting rapid flow tests from school pupils and staff.