Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens fencing to remain for ‘foreseeable future’

Fencing put up in Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens six months ago shows no sign of being removed.

Fences were erected to block a group of rough sleepers last October, who set up an encampment in the pavilion.

It came after nearby residents complained of anti-social behaviour from the rough sleepers, who were removed from the site after two weeks.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely at the time – and in the months following – and has repeatedly tried to find out what long-term measures would be put in place to prevent similar encampments and help those needing accommodation.

However, six months on, the fencing look set to remain indefinitely.

When we approached North Yorkshire Council for an update, Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said:

“The temporary fencing will remain up for the foreseeable future until a further solution can be found.

“We are working with Harrogate Business Improvement District with a view to wrapping it with images of the town/area in the short term.”

Matthew Chapman, chief executive of Harrogate BID, said the organisation held talks with the council along these lines before Christmas, and it was willing to “re-open that conversation”.

Rough sleepers offered ‘support and accommodation daily’

The Stray Ferret also asked what provisions are in place to help homeless people in Harrogate.

Kim Robertshaw, the council’s head of housing needs, said:

“We have a proactive rough sleeper team that engages with people at risk of rough sleeping on a daily basis, offering support and accommodation.

“We hope this consistent approach continues to reduce the number of instances where encampments are created in Harrogate. Where incidents do occur we work with partners to resolve issues as quickly as we can.”

The news comes just weeks after the Stray Ferret’s Trading Hell series, which investigated the anti-social behaviour faced by business owners in Harrogate.

Some traders did not feel confident that such offences would be dealt with by authorities, and some even pointed the finger at rough sleepers as the root cause.

You can read our Trading Hell feature on homeless charity, Harrogate Homeless Project, here.

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Readers’ Letters: ‘Abusive beggars’ and intimidating teens in Harrogate

Readers’ Letters is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This letter is in response to the Trading Hell series we ran this week. It followed a three-month investigation into anti-social behaviour and crime in parts of Harrogate.

Congratulations to you for raising this issue.

I don’t have a specific situation or incident to report, but I have noticed a huge increase in what might be called passive aggressive behaviour in town.

The beggars are abusive, the teenagers look at you as if you have encroached on their patch and there is a general feeling that something is about to kick off”. I don’t think I have ever seen a police officer on foot in town over the past five years or so.

But why does it always have to be somebody’s fault other than the perpetrator of the misdemeanour? Sadly, this reflects a breakdown in society as us old timers (I’m in my 60s) comment upon time after time.

Unfortunately, I can only see the situation deteriorating further.

Punishments need to fit crimes and these pariahs of society need to learn that their anti-social behaviour is the road to nowhere.

John Chadwick, Huby

The Kex Gill saga is an ‘absolute farce’

This letter is in response to one man’s frustration over a lack of communication about the ongoing A59 at Kex Gill closure.

I 100% agree with Mr Young. This situation is an absolute farce, it is not a difficult situation to address, nor was it unforeseeable that it would happen.

Surely the project risk assessment should have identified the potential for this type of event and made suitable provision.

It is a huge inconvenience for residents and others who are having to suffer lengthy diversions.

That said, everything relating to this route has been so badly managed for years and, unfortunately, is no surprise to anyone affected.

Tony Sidwell, Ripon

Paul Haslam for mayor is a ‘breath of fresh air’

This letter follows news of former Tory whip councillor Paul Haslam standing for mayor of North Yorkshire. 

It came as a breath of fresh air to read that councillor Paul Haslam has resigned as the Conservative party whip to stand as an Independent candidate for Mayor of North Yorkshire.

It is a position which demands loyalty to all residents of North Yorkshire and not allegiance to a political party, which has gifted the incumbent their salary of £81,300.

It requires broad knowledge of commerce, as well the workings of public services and its politics. It requires the ability to identify and lead a network of talent and not one based on party hierarchy or other organisations..

This is not political party propaganda. I do not belong to a political party and I am a centrist.

I have seen Cllr Haslam at local community meetings and consider him an efficient operator with local interests at heart.

As a capable Independent candidate, who is challenging the existing hierarchy, Cllr Haslam will have my vote.

I hope the electorate fully realise importance of the Mayor of North Yorkshire and that usual voter apathy for local elections does not occur. The election turnout for the retiring Police Commissioner was less than 15%, which means that 85% didn’t care.

The outcome of this election will be more meaningful and it will affect everyone by influencing the many areas of our public services.

Brian Graham, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Harrogate needs ‘collective approach’ to town centre problems, says MP

Harrogate needs a “collective approach” to tackling problems in the town centre, says Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP.

This week, the Stray Ferret revealed how town-centre traders feel about anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and threats to staff through our unprecedented Trading Hell survey.

We also took a deep dive into crime data, heard from Harrogate Homeless Project about the limits constraining the charity sector’s response and put concerns over trader confidence to North Yorkshire Police.

Nearly all of the businesses who responded to our survey agreed that anti-social behaviour was an issue in the town centre.

The Stray Ferret asked local politicians how they felt about our findings and what they feel could be done to tackle some of Harrogate’s problems.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the issues as complex and in need of a collective approach to tackle them.

He said:

“Although Harrogate is by any measure a safe town that does not mean we do not have our problems. We do and the Stray Ferret articles highlighted some of these.

“The interviews with the BID, the police, the Harrogate Homeless Project and other organisations highlighted the need for a collective approach to dealing with these issues.

“For example, simply asking the police to move street beggars from one street to the next does not tackle the underlying issues with which that person needs help.It may be a housing issue, a benefits issue, it might be a mental or physical health problem, it might be addiction, it might a criminal justice issues such as county lines drug dealing.

“We need to look on a case-by-case basis and decide which interventions are going to be most effective to support that individual so that they do not feel that street begging is the only or the most viable option for them to address their circumstances. We need to support them into a stable situation with their home, job, health and personal life.

“So these are complex issues and a complex approach involving many different groups is required to solve them.”

Mr Jones added that he would continue to meet with businesses and organisations to listen to concerns over the problems in the town.

He said:

“We all have the same objective. To continue to have a vibrant town centre where we see brilliant events, our trademark independent shops thrive alongside branded stores, where we feel safe as retailers and customers and where our town attracts tourists to provide the footfall businesses need.

“I meet regularly with the organisations who have contributed to this series of articles and will be doing so again to continue discussing how we can work together to achieve that objective.  I hope the Stray Ferret will repeat their survey in a year’s time so we can see how effective the solutions we develop as a town centre community are.”

More comprehensive strategies needed

Meanwhile, Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, said the issues had been raised with him on the doorstep.

He said:

“Over the last few weeks and months this is something that has come up more frequently on the doorsteps and in my inbox. Retail employees make a huge contribution to our society and economy and they are the life blood of our town. Abuse against retail staff has an incredibly serious impact on those who experience it.

“The Liberal Democrats recognise that the UK government are asking shop workers to enforce the law themselves; they are enforcing the law on age-restricted products such as alcohol, games, DVDs and more.

“For retail workers specifically, we believe that where they are enforcing the law (e.g. minimum age for alcohol) or acting to prevent/detect crime (e.g. detaining a shoplifter), the law should give them extra protection.

“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are backing the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker, allowing for the aggravation of that offence where the retail worker is seeking to enforce a statutory age restriction.”

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon.

However, Mr Gordon said more comprehensive strategies would be needed to tackle the issues in Harrogate.

He added:

“I welcome and support the efforts of Harrogate BID and other organisations working to tackle these problems, including initiatives such as the Report a Crime campaign. However, it’s clear that more comprehensive strategies are required.

“We also need to do more to look at and address the root causes of anti-social behaviour, such as substance abuse and homelessness. This requires an evidence based approach that is multifaceted and takes into account access to support services, mental health resources, and addiction treatment.”

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Trading Hell: Shocking rise in shoplifting in Harrogate town centre

Yesterday, we heard traders concerns that anti-social behaviour and shoplifting are getting worse, but do the official statistics back these experiences?

Our Trading Hell survey showed that traders feel that incidents of shoplifting, drug misuse and general anti-social behaviour are far too common.

Traders also expressed a deep sense of frustration that not enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they used to be.

The Stray Ferret has examined official statistics for the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey.

Shocking rise in shoplifting

Among the areas of most concern for traders has been shoplifting, which 78% say is an issue.

The Stray Ferret has found that statistics show a shocking rise in the number of reported incidents to police.

Our research of the force’s own data found that in 2022, 139 reports of shoplifting in the town centre were made.

In the same period last year, this increased by 66% to 232.

Concern over the problem have been heightened following incidents of thefts worth hundreds of pounds on Beulah Street and Commercial Street last year.

Another incident in November 2023 saw a “prolific shoplifter” threaten staff in Asda on Bower Road after staff tried to stop her stealing two bottles of alcohol.

One business owner told us:

“I’ve seen a group of five people coming out of the shop next door with armfuls of hangers, just walking off. Not even running. The security guard couldn’t do anything. They just told him to f*** off.”

Anti-social behaviour

Much of traders concerns centre around anti-social behaviour, a term which often can capture various different issues.

The police define anti-social behaviour as “someone acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not living in the same household”.

According to the force’s own data, in the 12 months to January 2024, a total of 285 reports were made to police in those hotspot areas.

This compares with 261 incidents in the same period in 2022.

While this is a slight increase, almost every business of the 50 which were surveyed (96%) told us that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t.

Organisations such as Harrogate BID feel not enough businesses are reporting what is really happening.

One reason is a lack of confidence among traders that the police will act.

One business owner told us:

“Ring for thefts – not interested. Ring for feeling unsafe out the back of our courtyard due to large group of kids smoking weed and intimidating staff, and drunks – nothing done after ringing several times for numerous incidents.”

It means that the true picture of just how much of an issue anti-social behaviour is in the town is unlikely to be reflected in the figures.

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Although shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are among the most concerning issues, there are other offences which crop up in the statistics such as violence and sexual offences.

Last year, a total of 99 reports of violent and sexual offences were reported to police in the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey. This compares to 98 in the previous year.

The most high profile of those incidents was a report of a serious sexual assault in the town centre which saw police cordon off areas of James Street, Petergate and Market Place on October 5, 2023.

Rough sleeping, street drinking and drugs

Among the other areas of concern raised in our survey was rough sleeping (70%), street drinking (74%) and drug taking (66%).

Traders feel that these three issues are part of a wider problems currently affecting the town.

According to police data, reports of drugs, which includes possession, consumption and supply, has fallen slightly from 44 in 2022 to 40 last year.

The force themselves said Harrogate has a “low level” of drug offences for a town of its size.

Paul Rawlinson, who owns Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersens on Oxford Street, told us that the issue of rough sleeping is most pronounced in the summer when it is a “more comfortable option”.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

According to a freedom of information request from North Yorkshire Council, last year three females and 27 males were counted as sleeping rough in the Harrogate town centre area.

The council said all except eight of those were provided with alternative accommodation. 

It added that the rough sleeping count for each year “could represent the same people where accommodation has been secured and then lost”.

There have been flashpoints over the last couple of years where businesses and residents have complained of people sleeping rough causing issues in their area.

In November 2022, concern was raised over rough sleeping, street begging and drinking at the back of Primark on Oxford Street.

At the time, Harrogate Borough Council said three “entrenched, long-term” rough sleepers had been sleeping overnight in the area.

The authority sought to assure residents and businesses that those gathering in the area had been offered accommodation, but was turned down. Those gathered there later accepted support.

Similarly, in November 2023, North Yorkshire Council erected fencing at a pavilion at Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens after rough sleepers occupied the area and returned twice after being dispersed.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely after nearby residents, who complained of anti-social behaviour during the group’s encampment. Many sympathised with the rough sleepers but wanted to know what long-term measures would be put in place on the site.

Why the stats matter? 

Whether the statistics reflect the true picture is a significant issue because police crime figures determine how much resource is given to tackling a problem. The figures mean Harrogate is still designated as a low crime area by the police, despite the trader’s experiences.

On Thursday, we will be asking the force whether they could do more to tackle Harrogate’s problems and give confidence to the traders to report crimes.

But there are other agencies who work with the police to support people who traders feel to a greater or lesser extent are involved in some of the town’s issues. Those who help support the homeless and have responsibilities for youth justice.

Tomorrow, we look at the agencies outside of police enforcement who are involved in supporting people considered to be part of Harrogate’s issues.