A special hello from Harrogate Borough Council

Harrogate Borough Council sent this bulletin at 12-04-2021 03:46 PM BST

Having trouble reading this newsletter? View it in a browser.

Monday 12 April 2021

This is a special edition of Residents’ News.

We’re sending this to mark the most significant change to date in the lockdown rules.

From today (12 April) non-essential retailers and a host of other businesses are permitted to open for the first time in several months.

We suspect you may be torn between heading to a beer garden for your first pub pint for many weeks or trying to arrange to have your hair cut.

In this special edition, you’ll also find out about:

The reopening of our pools and Brimhams fitness centres
How to book yourself a rejuvenating treatment at Turkish Baths Harrogate
Why you should have your say on changes to council services

Coronavirus: non-essential retail is open again

Today (12 April) is the date we’ve all had in our dairies for weeks.

From this morning, non-essential retailers, ‘personal care’ premises (hairdressers, barber shops, nail bars) many public buildings and leisure centres opened again.

Hospitality businesses are also allowed to serve customers in outdoor settings. Food and drink must be ordered and consumed when you are seated.

You can now book and stay at self-contained accommodation, such as campsites and holiday lets, provided indoor facilities are not shared with other households.

However, despite the fact the lockdown restrictions have eased further today, Covid-19 hasn’t gone away.

Please continue – like you have been doing all along – to follow the rules to do your bit to minimise the spread of the virus in your local community and across the district.

Remember ‘hands, face and space’ and a new message about fresh air. Even indoors, you should consider how to keep fresh air circulating.

Please wear a face covering where you are required to and maintain social distancing even when you are outdoors.

Don’t forget that meeting people you do not live with inside your house is still not allowed.

Our gyms and two of our pools are open again

We welcomed back our first customers at the Hydro in Harrogate and at Ripon and Nidderdale leisure centres this morning.

You can now enjoy lane swimming and family fun sessions in our pools at the Hydro and at Nidderdale leisure centre.

Our Brimhams fitness centres at the Hydro and at Ripon and Nidderdale leisure centres are now open again to existing members.

All swim and gym sessions must be pre-booked in advance.

Please note that you must wear a face covering in all communal areas of our buildings.

We are putting plans in place to open our three other pools in the coming weeks and months. We are working on the basis that Ripon Spa Baths will be next to open.

We are waiting for the government to publish guidance on future social distancing rules which will dictate how quickly we can reopen Starbeck baths.

Regrettably, the filtration equipment at Knaresborough pool is still broken.

We had been waiting for the arrival from Spain of specialist contractors to carry out repairs.

However, with a third wave of the coronavirus currently gripping many countries in Europe, including Spain, it is highly unlikely the engineers will be given permission to travel any time soon.

We have consulted pool specialists in the UK and are working up plans to completely replace the faulty equipment at Knaresborough.

This is likely to be a more costly solution, but we are keen to ensure our residents in the east of the district have easy access to a pool as soon as possible.

We will keep you posted on progress in future editions of Residents’ News.

Could you be a new Brimhams team member?

As we continue with our phased reopening of our gyms and pools, we’re recruiting new team members.

Right now, we need lifeguards to help ensure swimmers enjoy their time in the water safely.

We’ll soon be advertising openings for fitness staff and other roles.

Please take a look at the jobs page on our website for the latest opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Turkish Baths Harrogate is ready to welcome you back

Customer being given a treatment at Turkish Baths Harrogate

After months of lockdown, we’re sure you definitely deserve a pampering with one of the many treatments available at the Turkish Baths.

To secure your personal relaxation and rejuvenation session, all you need to do is make an online booking via the Turkish Baths website.

You can also call our friendly reservations team on 01423 55676. Please mention that you saw this story in Residents’ News.

Although we are now able to offer treatments once more, the Turkish Baths remain closed until further notice.

Knaresborough and Ripon markets

During lockdown, the markets in Knaresborough and Ripon were restricted to the sale of essential goods only.

From Wednesday this week in Knaresborough and Thursday in Ripon, we will welcome back all of our fantastic traders.

As well as locally sourced goods and quality products, our traders are experts in their own rights and will be delighted to offer any advice you need.

We look forward to welcoming you back too.

Customer services open for pre-booked appointments

Now that public buildings are permitted to open again, we’re able to offer a limited face-to-face service at civic centre in Harrogate if you need to see us in person.

However, to ensure we follow social distancing rules and regulate the number of people in the building at once, you’ll need to make an appointment to come in.

Please give us a call on 01423 500600 to make the arrangements.

Your local council services are changing

If you’re not a first-time reader of Residents’ News, you may recall from previous editions how we told you about the reorganisation of local government in North Yorkshire.

The government is consulting on changes to the way local services are provided.

Instead of responsibility being split between two, separate, councils the government has suggested two unitary authorities to each run all services in their respective areas.

Six of the seven district and borough councils – including us – have proposed an east and west model with the county split roughly either side of the A1(M).

The west side would be formed of the current Craven, Richmondshire and Hambleton districts and the borough of Harrogate.

The east side would be formed of the current city of York area, the districts of Selby and Ryedale and the borough of Scarborough.

You’ll find the business case for the east/west model on this special website.

North Yorkshire County Council is suggesting one unitary council would cover the entire county with a second, smaller unitary to run the city of York as is the case now.

The government consultation is your chance to shape the way local council services are organised and provided in your community.

That’s why we encourage you to take part and add your views.