The rapidly-deteriorating condition of many Ripon roads came under the spotlight at a virtual meeting yesterday.

Officers from North Yorkshire County Council were invited by Ripon City Council to explain the reason for extended delays to repair and renewal work for roads, including those surrounding the Market Square, Minister Road and Dallamires Lane.

The city council had wanted NYCC to make the meeting, which was held on Teams, open to the media, but in an email exchange yesterday .Karl Battersby, NYCC’s corporate director for business and environmental services, said:

“My position remains that I am not prepared to have the discussion with the media present.”

Minster Road, which runs past Ripon Cathedral, is in need of repairs

In an earlier email, Mr Battersby said:

“Our understanding was that this would be a frank and open discussion in private to try and reach a better understanding together of the possibilities and restrictions. At no point was this to be a press conference.”

After the meeting, city council leader Andrew Williams, who was involved in the email exchange and made the unsuccessful attempt to have it open to journalists and the public, told the Stray Ferret plans to improve Market Place East were agreed. He said:

“I can’t understand why North Yorkshire County Council didn’t want the press and public to be involved. It was cordial and constructive and would have given the officers a means to explain to the wider population the situation they face in Ripon and other parts of the county.

“With the government settlement meaning a loss of £4million from the highways budget, they are strapped for cash, but the officers did understand the concerns raised by myself and other councillors involved in the call.

“We were pleased to hear that a scheme for Market Place East will be drawn up and other areas are being looked at.”

Councillor Williams added:

“While roads in an around the city are in need of repair, we will continue to bang the drum on Ripon’s behalf.”

Read more:

• Plans for 3D mapping of Ripon Leisure Centre site
• Management team appointed for Ripon BID

Harrogate Borough Council is to commission a 3D map of underground soil conditions at the new multi-million pound Ripon Leisure Centre, amid ongoing safety concerns.

The council said in a statement last night the imaging would be part of “ground remedial works and a thorough investigation programme” following the discovery of a void.

The city has a history of sinkholes caused by the soluble of nature gypsum, the rock that lies under much of the area.

The statement said a survey of the whole site and the 3D map would “ensure leisure facilities can continue to be safely provided in Ripon”.

Senior councillors will be asked to approve the remedial works and investigation at a cabinet meeting next week,

Read more:

• Subsidence raises fears of collapse for Ripon homes
• Ripon leisure centre won’t fully open with new pool

As reported by the Stray Ferret, Ripon-based chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh has consistently raised concerns with the council about the suitability of building a swimming pool on land with a history of ground instability issues. But he feels his comments, made at a June 2019 planning meeting where the new leisure centre was approved, were largely dismissed.

The council now plans to open a new six-lane pool on the site on December 8 — but the adjoining leisure centre will only partially open on that date because of concerns about the void.

Council officials confirmed last week that the leisure centre’s ground floor will remain closed.

‘Disappointment for some’

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, said yesterday:

“Understandably, the delayed opening of some of the new facilities in the leisure centre will be a disappointment for some, but by carrying out this investigation now it will allow us to provide fit-for-purpose leisure facilities for the people of Ripon for years to come.”

The void is understood to have been present a number of years and was only discovered last year when the reinforced concrete slab, which provides the foundation for the new swimming pool, was cast.

In May, the council approved an investigation into the “void in the ground” at an estimated cost of £110,000. Now further measures are planned.

The project, which includes a pool, fully-refurbished leisure centre and outside play areas was initially scheduled for completion in May, but ground stabilisation work known as grouting, contributed to a six-month hold up.

The Ripon Business Improvement District board has appointed a management team to deliver events and projects aimed at helping local businesses thrive.

Eighty per cent of Ripon traders voted in favour of creating a BID in June. BIDs, which are funded by a levy on local firms, come up with ideas to increase visitor numbers to towns and cities.

Elizabeth Faulkner, former manager of Altrincham BID, has been appointed Ripon BID manager and Lilla Bathurst, who previously worked for Hull BID, has been named assistant Ripon BID manager.

Ms Faulkner worked for tourism organisation Visit Manchester for 12 years. Her experience as a destination marketing specialist was put to good use in Altrincham, where she led the submission that saw the town win the Great British High Street Award in 2018.

Ms Bathurst worked as a stockbroker in the City of London prior to her move north to Hull and change of career. Her initiatives included the award-winning Hull Street Food Nights, which supported the city’s evening economy by increasing footfall.

The two women are excited by the prospect of working alongside businesses to promote Ripon as a destination locally, regionally and nationally.

Ms Faulkner said:

“This is a wonderful city with a rich history and so much more and it’s our job to make as many people as possible aware of what Ripon has to offer.”

Promoting what the city has to offer and increasing footfall are two of the objectives of the Ripon BID

Ms Bathurst added:

“I relocated to the area and soon discovered that it has a great community spirit, with people who work together and have a positive attitude.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with businesses of all sizes who make Ripon such a special place.”

Deep clean

Projects to be delivered over the next few weeks include a deep clean for city streets, the first stage of a way-finding strategy looking at signage and evaluation of Ripon’s destination and social media platforms, material and websites.

In addition, at a time of rising fuel and power costs, businesses will be offered free consultations on ways to save money.

Rick Jones, who owns Valentino’s restaurant and the Water Rat in Ripon, and is a member of BID board, said:

“We are all looking forward to moving things forward through initiatives that focus on many aspects of the Ripon economy, from heritage to hospitality to the city’s retail offer and major visitor attractions, such as Fountains Abbey and Newby Hall.

“There is a collective benefit – If they do well, we all do well and the city thrives.”

“In the first instance, we are getting the foundations right and in the appointment of Elizabeth and Lilla, we have made a great start.”

Read more:

• No government levelling up money for Ripon
• Ripon’s Helter skelter Halloween twist 

Hand-knitted poppies have been put up around Ripon as part of Remembrance Day commemorations.

Around 75,000 poppies, most of which have been knitted, have been placed around the city by an army of volunteers from Ripon Community Poppy Project.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue also helped to place the poppies in hard to reach locations.

Cllr Stuart Martin, who helps to ensure the display survives by providing support towards fundraising from his localities budget, has spoken to people from Cheshire and Lockerbie, who were visiting specifically to view the display.

Cllr Martin said: 

“Those who made the sacrifice we remember gave us the freedom we have today. Without them, we would not be able to do the things we do and it is important to remember them.”

Read more:

• Halloween in Ripon — heavy showers and a helter skelter
• Artworks honour Ripon’s military past

This year, a Remembrance Sunday service will be held in the Spa Gardens, where Cllr Martin will also attend as county council chairman, followed by a further service at the Cathedral, where the second of Ripon’s two war memorials is situated.

Proposals have been submitted to expand a caravan park at Bishop Monkton, near Ripon, by 31 caravans.

The plan, submitted by ELG Planning on behalf of the site owners, would see the Church Farm Caravan Park on Knaresborough Road in the village expanded.

The proposals seek to change the use of land to the south of the site to make space for 31 static caravans.

It would also see an existing farm building demolished to make way for a two-storey reception building, small shop and manager accommodation.

Read more:

• Knaresborough caravan park extension plan withdrawn

• Ripon building owners apologise for “eyesore” as redevelopment plans progress

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developer said:

“As illustrated by the site layout, the proposed development layout represents an attractive form of development, which compliments the existing caravan park and respects the existing public right of way which runs through the site.”

The developer added that the aim of the proposal was to create a “a high-quality form of tourist accommodation that will complement the existing caravan park”.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

A £6 million bid for government funding for regeneration projects in Ripon, Masham and Skipton has been rejected.

Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council made the joint submission for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the authorities were dealt a setback when the government announced during its budget last week that the bid had been unsuccessful.

A joint statement from the councils said: 

“We’re very disappointed to hear that the joint bid between Craven District Council and Harrogate Borough Council in the government’s Levelling Up Fund has been unsuccessful.

“The Levelling Up Fund is a competitive process and sadly only a small proportion of priority three areas – which we were identified as – received funding in round one.

“There also appears to be no areas in North Yorkshire that have received funding.”

Read more:

• Harrogate businesses set for crunch talks on £10.9m Station Gateway
• Harrogate council leader confirms he will stand down

More than 100 bids around the UK have been awarded a combined total of £1.7 billion from the fund, with another £3.1 billion to be awarded after the next application window opens in 2022.

£187 million awarded in Yorkshire

In Yorkshire, around £187 million was secured by councils for 10 projects, including a major waterfront extension in Doncaster and a refurbishment of Halifax Swimming Pool.

The cash will be used to improve transport connections across west Leeds and to help convert a derelict site in Wakefield into a new museum and art gallery.

The funding is said to be targeted at areas in the greatest need and for investing in “infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets”.

The joint bid from Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council required an approval from Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.

If approved, match funding from the private sector would have seen the total cost of the regeneration projects climb to £8.8 million.

The joint statement from the councils continued: 

“We are grateful to all the organisations who supported the bid, which would have delivered a wide range of regeneration projects across Skipton, Masham and Ripon.

“We still believe that there is a strong case for investment and we will continue to work with partners to try and bring these schemes forward in the future.”

On a day of heavy rain mixed with bright sunny intervals, Ripon residents and visitors braved the elements to visit Market Square for a mini Halloween funfair.

The event included children’s rides, a helter skelter and an artisan market.

Children and their parents queued up to take a turn on the helter skelter

While the weather limited the time for enjoyment of the free rides, they were in demand when the sun finally broke through in early afternoon.

The playground occupied the southern half of the square and the Little Bird Artisan Market, was on the northern section.

In spite of pouring rain and windy conditions, 40 stallholders set up their pitches from early morning.

The market, designed to give local traders the opportunity to showcase and sell their handmade goods – ranging from food to home decorations –  have been a constant feature of the public events in 2021 staged by Ripon City Council and paid for out of the parish precept.

Between the showers shoppers browsed the stalls at the artisan market

Council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“With all of the effort that goes into organising these activities, particularly by our town clerk, Paula Benson, we are pleased that the rain didn’t ruin the day.”

The next free public entertainment that will be staged on Market Square is on November 20, when a tribute band concert will be held to mark the switch on of Ripon’s Christmas lights.

More than 500 excess deaths in North Yorkshire during coronavirus

There have been 559 excess deaths in North Yorkshire during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures have revealed.

Excess deaths are a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected when compared to previous years and can be used to show the overall impact of the pandemic.

Figures presented to a meeting of North Yorkshire’s Outbreak Management Advisory Board showed 11,347 deaths from all causes were expected during the weeks of the pandemic based on the five-year average.

A total of 11,906 deaths from all causes were recorded up until 1 October – giving an excess of 559.

Dr Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, told today’s meeting that these figures were “largely reflective of the national position”. She said:

“The largest peaks of excess deaths, unsurprisingly, were during covid’s first and second wave.

“This was followed by periods where deaths were actually a bit below the expected number, however, those periods were not enough to offset the very high numbers of excess deaths that we saw during both wave one and two.”

According to Public Health England figures, there have been a total of 1,227 deaths in North Yorkshire where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Read more:

• Harrogate district covid rate stabilises after another 144 infections
• ‘It could happen to anyone’, says Harrogate woman who had stroke at 37

The recent rate of Covid deaths and hospital admissions has increased slightly since the end of summer, however, the figures are lower than previous waves.

20 patients still in intensive care

Despite this, Sue Peckitt, chief nurse at NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said the heath service was still facing “unprecedented” demand with 171 Covid patients currently in the county’s hospitals.

She told today’s meeting that the majority of these patients were over-65 and that 20 were in intensive care:

“We continue to see high demand into our primary and emergency care departments.

“Whilst we are seeing high numbers of Covid infections in our younger population, it is the older population that is presenting into hospital.”

Ms Peckitt also said the vaccine rollout was continuing with a focus on booster jabs for over 50s and increasing uptake for 12 to 15-year-olds who will be offered their single dose by the end of November. She added:

“The schools programme for 12 to 15-year-olds is now rolling out through our provider Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, but we have also opened up three sites on the national booking system.

“These are the pharmacy site at Knaresborough, the Askham Bar site at York and the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.”

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 October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his Autumn budget and MPs were criticised for rejecting an amendment to stop raw sewage being pumped into rivers.

All of our district MPs were urged by North Yorkshire Police to report personal security concerns following the murder of David Amess MP in his constituency.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

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:

• Mr Jones did not post any news on his website in October.
• On October 20, Mr Jones voted against a House of Lords amendment to put a legal duty on water companies and prevent them discharging waste into rivers and seas.
• Mr Jones spoke six times in the House of Commons in October.
• Two of those contributions were on the environment, including congratulating Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition for hosting its first climate action festival ahead of COP26.
• On October 14, following the resignation of Philip Allott as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Mr Jones posted onto his Conservative-run site that Mr Allott had “done the right thing”. He also paid tribute to David Amess.
• Mr Jones’ Twitter account is for ‘retweets only’.

Read more:

• MPs watch: Sweary outbursts, animal testing and Bilsdale

• Nigel Adams MP’s £33,000 donation from former Russian businessman back in spotlight

• Police urge Harrogate district MPs to report personal security concerns

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

• Mr Smith updated his website three times in September. He posted about Bilsdale transmitter and visiting Grassington hub.
• He tweeted 12 times last month. Among his social media posts were tweets paying tribute to David Amess MP. He also paid tribute to James Brokenshire MP, who died on October 8.
• Mr Smith was the only one of our district MPs to call for Philip Allott to resign. On October 11, he tweeted that Mr Allott “should go”.
• Mr Smith voted against the House of Lords amendment on river sewage.
• Mr Smith posted four times on his Facebook page.
• He spoke once in the House of Commons this month. On October 26, Mr Smith made a spoken contribution on Northern Ireland.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

• Mr Adams tweeted six times in October.
• On Twitter, he paid tribute to both James Brokenshire MP and David Amess MP.
• He posted once on his website on October 26 about road works being carried out on the A1 and A64.
• On October 5, the Stray Ferret reported that a former arms tycoon who donated £33,800 to Mr Adams was back under media scrutiny after the leak of the Pandora Papers.
• Mr Adams did not post anything on his social media or website about Philip Allott’s resignation of police commissioner.
• Mr Adams voted against the House of Lords amendment on river sewage.
• He did not make any spoken contributions in the House of Commons in October.

Think of an England sports coach living in the Harrogate district who enjoyed a remarkable summer, and chances are Gareth Southgate comes to mind.

But there is another option — and this one didn’t have to settle for second best.

Chris Bartle was high performance coach of the Great Britain equestrian team that won its first Olympic team gold medal for 49 years in Tokyo.

Despite living just a dozen miles apart, the two men have never crossed paths. Chris says:

“I’d love to meet him. Some of the things he’s quoted as saying are similar to my mantra. We seem to have very similar philosophies.”

Like Gareth, Chris is regarded as one of sport’s nice guys. But unlike the Swinsty man, whose life is consumed by England duties, Chris spends most of his time in the Harrogate district at the Yorkshire Riding Centre in Markington, which he runs with his wife and sister.

He says he spends about two-thirds of his life at Markington and one third on GB coaching duties.

When he’s at Markington, he still teaches everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars at Markington.

The family riding centre in Markington.

Olympic riders in Markington

Chris’ Belgian mother opened the riding centre at Markington in 1963, 11 years after his parents moved to the village, which is between Ripon and Harrogate.

The family still lives on site and Chris takes a hands-on approach, teaching everyone from talented juniors to Olympic stars and generally mucking. When we visited he’d just been on a cherry picker helping mend a roof — something we doubt Gareth does at Wembley.

With its four training arenas, livery, cross-country fields and on-site accommodation, the centre caters for riders of all standards.

Everyone from bygone stars like Harvey Smith and the Whitakers to current Olympic riders from Sweden, Brazil and Germany have trained at Markington. Chris says:

“I look at the print out of riders at the Olympics and it’s amazing how many have connections with the Yorkshire Riding Centre.”

The centre also has an elegant wedding venue, built by the Wilberforce family of anti-slavery fame. The Wilberforces still own nearby Markington Hall.

The wedding venue

Read more:

• Firefighters rescue sheep from swollen River Ure in Ripon
• Markington shopkeeper overwhelmed by villagers’ birthday surprises

Chris studied economics at Bristol University and jokes he has spent his entire life with horses to avoid a proper job.

He started as a jockey but was too tall so he switched to eventing and then dressage, at which he finished sixth at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has been to all nine Olympics since.

His coaching CV is phenomenal. He was national coach to the German Olympic three-day event team that won team gold at the Beijing and London Olympics in 2008 and 2012. The Germans also won gold at Athens in 2004 but were stripped of their medals when a horse failed a doping test.

Olympic glory

Chris, who had trained the British eventing team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, was appointed GB high performance coach in 2016 in the hope of emulating Germany’s success.

He masterminded the team’s preparation for Tokyo, which included staying outside the athletes’ village to minimise the covid risk. He says it was like staying in a five-star prison, and despite their caution there was a constant fear of covid jeopardising everything.

The British team gave an utterly dominant performance to take team gold for the first time since 1972. But his abiding memory is rather sad.

“It was the athletes on the podium wearing masks and you can’t see them grinning and how happy they are.”

Chris says he is equally proud of the gold medals he helped Germany win, but adds:

“Team GB was different to doing it with another nation. For that reason and how long it had taken for GB to get gold, that’s a standout moment. It was a super highlight.”

Britain’s Tom McEwen also won individual silver in the eventing but, like any coach, Chris wasn’t totally happy.

“It could have gone better. I felt there was another medal to be had in the individual eventing. I slightly blame myself for that because Laura Collett slightly over-egged it in preparation. She tried to get better and better and in that heat and humidity the horse didn’t sparkle in the dressage phase as much as it usually does.”

One of the training areas at Markington.

California dreaming

Chris is 69 now but looks remarkably fit and isn’t planning to put himself out to grass anytime soon. He hopes to continue in his current GB role until 2028 when the Olympics will return to Los Angeles, 44 years after he competed there. It would cap one of the longest and most remarkable careers in sport. He says:

“Los Angeles is an attainable goal and it would complete the circle.”

His 14-year-old daughter Poppy, a very talented rider, will be 21 then, which must be at the back of his mind but he’s careful not to put any pressure on her.

Whatever happens in his career, Markington will remain home.

“We are very fortunate where we are. The whole of this area is just an amazing place to live — although some of my colleagues tend to think this is the frozen north!”