Here's the latest news from Harrogate Borough Council

Before the next edition of Residents’ News arrives in your email inbox, Halloween and Bonfire Night will have been and gone.

All official bonfire events across the district which would usually draw a crowd have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

We ask you to celebrate the occasion at home instead but be very mindful of everything you need to do to ensure your evening goes safely.

Follow the tips from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and be Covid-19 safe.

Stick to the rule of six, maintain social distancing, wash your hands regularly and take care when sharing food and drink with anyone not from your household.

We also ask you to think twice when it comes to the traditional ‘trick or treat’ visits to neighbours with the children.

Rather than knocking on doors, please consider arranging a ‘sweet hunt’ at home in your family group instead.

If your children are keen to get out of the house, go with them in the area where you live to see homes decorated for Halloween and take your own treats with you.

The coronavirus means Remembrance Sunday events can’t go ahead in their usual format.  No public ceremonies are taking place in our district this year.

Instead, we encourage you to mark the occasion from the safety of your home.

You could arrange your own event in your garden as you observe the two minutes silence.

Despite Covid-19, we still need to pay our respects to the many service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in two world wars and other conflicts.

We’re also supporting the Royal British Legion’s request for everyone to show their support for the armed forces community by displaying a poppy in your window.

Quite a few residents have been in touch about a letter which has been landing on door mats across the district in the last month.

The letter concerns a ‘green homes grant’ and features a logo which looks suspiciously like ours.  An 01423 number to call suggests it could be official.  It isn’t.

In fact, the letter is from a private company in Rochdale.  It doesn’t break any laws.

However, you can get access to the green homes grant without the need to use a third-party organisation which may charge you a fee.

You can find out more information about the financial help available to improve the energy efficiency of your home – and check your eligibility - on the government’s website.

Harrogate Lifeline’s new short-term support package is ideal for a loved one who is leaving hospital or when their family is away.

For a one-off payment of £35.80 for 28 days, our trusted 24-hour emergency support service includes the installation of equipment (personal alarm unit and pendant), a guaranteed response to calls 24/7 for 28 days (including the day of fitting) and a 24 hour backup responder service if you don't have any local responders available. 

We can usually get things up and running within 24 hours of receiving a referral.

For peace of mind contact Harrogate Lifeline for a free, no obligation, home demonstration on 01423 500600 (please use extension number 56811) or email lifeline@harrogate.gov.uk.

More information, including pricing options, are on our website.

Our autumn bedding plant sale is coming to an end this week, but our horticultural nursery now has cyclamen plants and Christmas wreaths in stock.

There’s also a good selection of houseplants and gardening accessories including planters, containers and compost.

The nursery shop is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 3pm and on Fridays from 9am to 12pm.  Please note, we can only accept credit/debit card payments.

If you would prefer, you can now pre-order your plants before you visit using our click and collect service.

You can find our nursery on Nursery Lane East, off Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate (please use the postcode HG2 0FH).

We have launched a consultation to seek your views on a proposed new settlement development plan document (DPD).

This new settlement, of approximately 3,000 dwellings, will provide much needed quality homes as well as facilities and services such as green space, employment and public transport.

As part of this, the DPD will help shape the design and delivery of the new settlement.

That’s why we are asking whether you agree with this vision for the new settlement as well as what specific requirements are needed to deliver these much needed new homes.

You can find out more about the proposed new settlement, and complete the consultation, on our award-winning website between now and Friday 11 December.

The annual spruce-up of pavements in our main towns will begin next week.

Our contractor will be using industrial-grade pressure washers to get rid of yucky chewing gum from pavements before the area is given a steam clean.

This year, we’re focussing our efforts on Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge.

The work will start in Pateley Bridge next Tuesday (2 November) and should be finished by the middle of the following week.

We’ll be in touch with retailers and businesses in the zones being cleaned ahead of time and the contractors have been asked to keep disruption to a minimum.

We apologise for our editor’s terrible word pun, but we wanted to let you know the final garden waste collections this year will be in the weeks commencing 16 and 23 November.

The service doesn’t operate during the winter and will return in March.

If you subscribed this year, we’ll be in touch in January to explain what you need to do if you want to continue having your garden waste taken away.

The clocks going back means darker nights which can give burglars an edge.

Our district is one of the safest places to live in the UK and the chances of you being a victim of crime is very low here.

However, there have been reports to suggest break-ins have increased in recent weeks.

We know criminals will take advantage of the cover of darkness and sloppy security. 

Don’t give them the opportunity!

Make sure doors and windows are locked – even when you’re in the house.  If you do go out, leave the lights on to make it look like someone is at home.

And, make sure you keep keys and valuables out of sight.

For more information on how to keep your family, house, and possessions safe, watch this Harrogate Community Safety Partnership video.

Harrogate Street Aid provides financial support to people who are, or have been, street homeless, to help them turn a corner in their lives.

Rather than providing emergency assistance, grants are awarded for long term, planned help to bring about real change.

In its first year £7,500 has been raised thanks to your generous donations.

The project is already making a difference to the lives of people with a history of homelessness.

Six grants have been paid to date, including help with ID documents, training courses, equipment, gym membership (to help with mental health), furniture and internet access.

The support is helping, and motivating, people to get off, and stay off, the streets for good.

You can donate £3 to Harrogate Street Aid by tapping your credit or debit card on the pay terminal in the window of M&S foodhall in Harrogate or by visiting the Street Aid website.

With your support, however little it may seem, we can do even more in the future.

We think Harrogate Borough Council is a fantastic place to work, but then we’re slightly biased!

As well as amazing colleagues, we offer competitive salaries and a range of other benefits

Right now, we’re recruiting:

• A chief solicitor
• A trainee democratic services officer
• An electrician within the housing and property team
• A labourer within the housing and property team

Please visit our jobs page for all our latest opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application.