Ripon Archives - Page 108 of 243

Ripon on track to be chosen for double devolution deal

Ripon City Council has cleared an important hurdle in its double devolution bid to take control of city assets.

North Yorkshire Council invited town and parish councils to submit expressions of interest to run local services in November last year.

It was part of the Conservative-controlled council’s double devolution agenda which pledges to let local people take control of local assets.

The council said it would choose up to six locations this autumn to put forward full business cases. Final decisions are expected in spring next year before assets are transferred to successful bidders later in the year.

This afternoon Ripon City Council was notified by council assistant chief executive Rachel Joyce the evaluation board proposed to to set up individual project teams to work with Ripon and Selby.

The news is likely to come as a blow for other towns, including Knaresborough, which also expressed interest. Harrogate was unable to bid because it does not have a town council.

Ms Joyce said in correspondence with the city council:

“Two expressions of interest that were considered, submitted by Ripon Town(City) Council and Selby Town Council; were both ambitious and multi-faceted, with a number of service areas involved in the evaluation of their expressions of interest.”

Ripon Town Hall

The Ripon devolution bid sought management of Ripon Town Hall, Market Place and Car Park, public toilets within the city and the Wakeman’s House listed building.

Ms Joyce said:

“Whilst the bids were considered to be showing the level of ambition for their areas that was originally envisaged for the double devolution project they highlighted that the evaluation criteria was not sophisticated enough to manage a wide range of services within its scoring mechanisms.

“It is therefore proposed by the evaluation board that individual project teams are set up to work with Ripon City Council and Selby Town Council to bring forward double devolution proposals to be considered by the executive in these two areas recognising that these may require more support.”

The news has been welcomed by Cllr Andrew Williams, the Independent leader of Ripon City Council, who also represents the Minster and Moorside division on North Yorkshire Council.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We have cleared an important hurdle and that’s very good news for Ripon as we seek greater say over our own destiny.

“We put forward a very strong double devolution bid and North Yorkshire Council has shown that it is willing to listen to us and work with us — in considerable contrast to the relationship that we had over almost 50 years with Harrogate Borough Council.”

Police locate wanted Ripon man

North Yorkshire Police has found a wanted Ripon man who went missing.

The 23-year-old was released on licence on May 19 this year but the Probation Service has since reported “poor behaviour”.

North Yorkshire Police released a wanted appeal on Friday, but have since located the suspect.

Ripon’s South Lodge to reopen tomorrow

One of Ripon’s largest and most prominent pubs will reopen under new management tomorrow afternoon (Saturday), following its sudden closure in April.

The South Lodge doors will be open again from 4pm and at 9pm there will be free live music.

Ahead of the pub’s reopening, the Stray Ferret was invited for a sneak peek and the opportunity to meet new licensee Terry Flanagan and his daughter Sinead, to find out about plans for the Harrogate Road hostelry.

The pub’s wonky sign will be fixed shortly

Mr Flanagan, told the Stray Ferret:

“The minute I saw this pub was available, I just knew I had to have it. It’s in a great residential location and has bags of potential.”

With experience built over almost 30 years in the hospitality sector across Yorkshire, beginning in the mid 1990s when he was landlord of the Queen’s Head in Kirkby Malzeard, he added:

“I go on my gut instincts and could see that South Lodge has all of the ingredients needed for success.

“My aim is to put it right back at the heart of the community, welcoming families with children during the daytime and catering for adults in the evenings, with free musical entertainment at weekends, Thursday quiz nights and pool nights on Wednesdays.”

Ms Flanagan, also an experienced publican, is providing administrative support for the South Lodge reopening.

Sinead Flanagan

She said:

“The food offer, including Sunday carvery, will be up and running by the end of the month and we also have plans for the Christmas period.”

Re-decoration is nearing completion and the pub, which stands in its own grounds and has a beer garden, will have its sign fixed shortly.

South Lodge is located by the busy A61 on the route of the 36 bus service between Ripon and Harrogate.

Further information is available via the pub’s Facebook page.

Police identify man after Ripon restaurant attempted burglary

Police have identified a man they wish to speak to in connection with an attempted burglary at a Ripon restaurant.

The incident happened at Prima Pizzeria on Kirkgate at 11.55pm on Friday, August 18.

Officers said a man tried to gain entry to the rear of the restaurant.

North Yorkshire Police released a CCTV image in connection with the incident and have since identified a man.

A police statement added:

“Anyone with any information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for the ‘York Initial Enquiry Team’ quoting 12230155915.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12230155915 when passing on information.”

Ripon’s Blue Cross charity shop closes today

An animal welfare charity is closing its Ripon shop today (Friday) due to declining trade.

This proved the tipping point for the Blue Cross shop, which has operated for five years from a large corner unit in The Arcade.

All remaining stock is being sold off for £2 or less, ahead of this afternoon’s closure..

David Palmer, Blue Cross head of retail operations, told the Stray Ferret:

“We were coming up to the end of our lease and after considerable thought we have sadly taken the difficult decision to close our shop in Ripon due to a decrease in the levels of trade and low profitability.

“We’d like to thank the staff and volunteers for all their hard work in the shop and pass on our thanks to everyone in Ripon who has supported Blue Cross over the five years.

He added:

“We are constantly looking at all of our 55 shops across the country to ensure we’re raising as many funds as possible for the thousands of sick, injured and homeless pets we help every year.

“We have shops in Northallerton and Thirsk where we would be delighted to receive donations and people can also support our charity by volunteering with us.”

The former Caffe Tempo Unit (pictured right) has been vacant since late July.

In July, Caffe Tempo, which had traded for six years in the unit neighbouring the Blue Cross shop, closed because of spiralling ingredient and overhead costs, that wiped out its profitability.

The former Caffe Tempo and two further units in The Arcade remain vacant.

Two injured after stone thrown through Ripon house window

Police have appealed for information after a large stone was thrown through the window of a property in Ripon.

The stone not only smashed the window, but the shards of glass also injured two homeowners who were sitting in their living room at the time.

The incident happened on Redshaw Close at around 12.05am on Friday, September 1.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Officers are asking people to get in touch if they are aware of anyone who was in the area at the time, have any suggestions of who the suspects may be, or have any CCTV showing suspicious behaviour in the area at the time of the incident.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email adam.deacon2@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Adam Deacon.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12230164661 when passing on information.”

Ripon’s Yorkshire cricketer John Waring dies aged 81

A Ripon cricketer who opened the bowling for Yorkshire with Fred Trueman has died on his 81st birthday.

John Waring was taken ill on Saturday morning while playing golf at Ripon City Golf Club. He died at Harrogate District Hospital the following morning — his 81st birthday.

Fast-medium pace bowler John played 29 first-class matches for Yorkshire from 1963 to 1966. He took 55 wickets at an average of 22.74.

The highlight of his career came in the championship-winning season of 1966 when he returned incredible match figures of 10 wickets for 63 runs in a Roses fixture against Lancashire, out-performing even the great Trueman.

John made one appearance for Warwickshire and later played minor counties cricket for Cumberland and was the club professional at Darlington. He also played for Leeds, Harrogate, Scarborough and Bingley.

A talented golfer, he was the youngest ever captain at Ripon City Golf Club and later became club president. He was also president of the Harrogate and District Union of Golf Clubs.

John married Jean in 1964 and they lived in Scarborough before moving to Dishforth in 1972.

He is survived by Jean and their son Jonathan, who lives in Thirsk with wife Zoe.

MPs Watch: Climate change, NHS dentists and Harrogate Station Gateway saga

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

In September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a major shift in the government’s climate policies, including delaying the ban on the sale of diesel and petrol cars.

Meanwhile, in Harrogate, the saga over the Station Gateway project continued with council officials announcing the authority would explore alternative options for the scheme.

We asked Ripon MP Julian Smith and Selby and Ainsty MP Keir Mather if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but did not receive a response.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

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

On September 1, Mr Jones attended a Harrogate war memorial centenary event.
Mr Jones met with Alzheimer’s Research UK in Parliament on September 6.
On September 8, he met with North Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board, alongside regional MPs, to discuss NHS dentistry.
Mr Jones then raised the issue of NHS dentistry access in Harrogate during Prime Minister’s Question Time on September 13.
On September 14, he raised a question to the Department for Business and Trade regarding support for companies exporting and asked the Leader of the House for a debate on SEND funding.
He chaired a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Transport across the North.
Mr Jones described the Prime Minister’s announcement of a shift in climate policy as “practical and pragmatic” on September 21.
Mr Jones visited the refurbished Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre on September 22.
On September 25, he met with constituents to discuss anti-social behaviour concerns at the former Kimberley Hotel.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service on September 26 that he hoped North Yorkshire Council will use money earmarked for the £11.2m Station Gateway to create a more welcoming space in Harrogate.

When we contacted Mr Jones for comment, his office sent a list of his engagements for September.

They included holding constituency surgeries, supporting Nidd Action Group’s Action Day at the Lido Leisure Park in Knaresborough and holding a roundtable with Harrogate-based cyclists to discuss local cycling infrastructure.

Others included meeting with representatives of the Women’s Institute to support their Clean Rivers campaign, meeting the Jewish Leadership Council, Food and Drink Federation and Macmillan Cancer Support and visiting the site of the local mental health crisis line to learn more about how calls are handled by TEWV NHS Foundation Trust.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

Mr Smith spoke three times in the House of Commons in September, two contributions were on Northern Ireland and another on paediatric acute-onset neuro- psychiatric syndrome.
He visited Fountains Abbey near Ripon to be given an update on its plans to renovate the site.
Mr Smith tweeted 14 times in September, which included to posts to promote various government grants and initiatives.
He updated his website six times in September, which included one item specific to Ripon.

Keir Mather, Selby and Ainsty MP.

In Selby and Ainsty, which includes rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Mather:

Mr Mather was sworn in as the new MP for Selby and Ainsty on September 4.
He made 20 written questions to government departments in September, including topics such as access to GPs, anti-social behaviour and gender based violence.
On September 1, Mr Mather tweeted that he met the chief executive of Yorkshire Housing, Nick Atkin, to discuss “how to win the race to net zero in North Yorkshire by investing in affordable and sustainable housing for all”.
Mr Mather tweeted six times in September, which included topics such as meeting with the National Farmers’ Union and being sworn into parliament.
He updated his Facebook page 11 times in September. Posts included SEND provision in Selby and sharing concerns over RAAC in schools.
Mr Mather has yet to give his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

Record entry for Ripon Poetry Festival competition

The 2023 Ripon Poetry Festival, which came to a close yesterday evening, proved a success with sell-out performances and a record entry for the annual poetry competition.

The final event, held at the Ripon Arts Hub on Allhallowgate, was an evening with theatre legend Barrie Rutter, the actor and director who founded Northern Broadsides to champion acting talent from the north.

This year’s 11-day festival also featured Internationally-famous children’s author Michael Rosen, who made a return to the city, having helped to launch the first Ripon Poetry Festival in 2017.

Festival curator Andy Cross told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been another tremendous year. We’ve had sell-out events from the outset and more than 300 entries for the poetry competition, which is a new record.”

Mr Croft (pictured above, centre) was among the panel of three judges that included Ripon Theatre Festival director Katie Scott and last year’s competition winner Simon Strickland (pictured left) who selected the poem, Newborn, written by Edmund Thomson Jones as the 2023 winning entry.

His entry, which was inspired by the birth of his daughter, now features alongside other entries in the 142-page festival anthology titled Creative Juices.

A separate anthology including entries from children, has also been published.

The festival, which is the biggest of its kind in Yorkshire saw performances from poets Hadley-James Hoyles, Alison Carr, Robert Powell and Sarah Wimbush.

In addition to workshops for children and adults there was open mic evening organised by Write-on Ripon and Ripon Writers Group.

A review of An Audience with Barrie Rutter is available here.

New street food vendor opens in Ripon

A new street food vendor has opened in Ripon.

Called Squid and Tonic, the venture was founded by Paul Page and Carol Williams and aims to serve high quality street food around North Yorkshire.

Mr Page, who has more than 30 years experience in catering, and Ms Williams, who previously worked in the hospitality industry, came up with the idea to launch the family business and tour different locations serving food.

The vendor serves a range of dishes including wood fired pizzas, noodles, grilled seafood and meat flatbread.

Mr Page, who describes himself as a passionate foodie, said the idea for the name came from the bar in the couple’s garden.

He said:

“The name comes from our garden bar and eatery where Carol served up the cocktails and I whipped up delicious creations in the pizza oven including spiced lamb flatbreads, whole marinated Persian chicken and tapas side salad.”

Paul and Carol serve up wood fired pizzas.

Mr Page added that the business travels up to 50 miles for functions and events.

The couple will next be travelling the short journey to North Stainley to serve wood fired pizzas at the village hall on Friday, October 6.

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