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This is the July edition of Residents' News
We send Residents' News monthly to bring you all the latest news from your borough council and the many services we provide. In this edition, you'll find out about:
- Transforming travel in Harrogate
- Turkish Baths Harrogate celebrating its 125th birthday
- Pop-up parties set to come to our parks this summer
- Waste and recycling bank holiday changes
- Applying for a free school meal
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 Major changes are being proposed for the area next to the rail and bus station in Harrogate.
Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority are working together on major improvements, which are designed to help boost economic recovery and make it easier to walk, cycle and use public transport.
The project is part of the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme, a major new programme of investment aimed at making it easier to walk, cycle and use public transport.
We asked for your views about the proposals back in March 2021 and September/October 2021. We listened to your feedback and now we want you to tell us what you think of the updated proposals.
You can visit the website to look at the designs and read information about them; find out about events, both in person and online; and fill in the online survey.
If you are having difficulty accessing the information online, or need alternative formats, please get in touch with the council by emailing: transformingcities@northyorks.gov.uk.
The survey is open until 23 August.
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Turkish Baths Harrogate celebrates its 125th birthday
Last weekend Turkish Baths Harrogate celebrated its 125th birthday.
The baths first opened on Friday 23 July 1897 by The Duke of Cambridge Prince George, the Royal Baths were built by Baggalley & Bristowe of London at the cost of £120,000 on the site of the old Montpellier Baths.
Water was pumped to the baths from several different springs, and guests could choose from three options. They could go through to the Winter Gardens to take the waters, enjoy the music and social life; they could visit the hospital where they would enjoy one of a variety of medical treatments on offer or they could go through to the Turkish Baths to relax and unwind.
Facilities available during the baths' Victorian heyday, included dispensing of medicinal waters, hydrotherapy departments, mud baths and steam rooms, as well as consulting doctors. And what may seem like a bizarre range of treatments today were household names then, including the likes of the 'Plombiere' douche, Schnee (electric hydrotherapy) bath, saline sulphur and peat baths.
Although Turkish Baths were common in Victorian times and popular with royal families from around the world, only seven remain dating back to the 19th century. None are as historically complete and in full working order as Turkish Baths Harrogate.
Take a look around and hear what a Victorian Turkish baths experience used to be like in their new short film. You can also take a look via the baths Facebook page.
Find out more about Turkish Baths Harrogate and the spa treatments available today at: www.turkishbathsharrogate.co.uk
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Pop-up parties set to come to our parks this summer
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Waste and recycling bank holiday changes this month
The summer bank holiday (29 August) means there are changes to garden waste, refuse and recycling collections.
All collections will take place a day later than your usual date. Therefore;
- Monday 29 Aug will be Tuesday 30 Aug
- Tuesday 30 Aug will be Wednesday 31 Aug
- Wednesday 31 Aug will be Thursday 1 Sept
- Thursday 1 Sept will be Friday 2 Sept
- Friday 2 Sept will be Saturday 3 Sept
Normal collections will resume on Monday 5 September.
Garden waste subscription service update
New garden waste subscriptions will close on Tuesday 31 August for collections which run until mid-November. If you subscribed this year, we’ll be in touch in January with details about subscribing for the 2023 season.
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Enjoy outdoor theatre in our parks
There's just over one week to go until our next Chapterhouse Theatre performance of Romeo and Juliet at Knaresborough Castle.
Enjoy an outdoor evening performance on Saturday 6 August of one of Shakespeare's most tragic love stories of two star-crossed lovers and their feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets.
Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased online.
On Saturday 20 August Chapterhouse Theatre will also be returning to Ripon Spa Gardens with an evening performance of Pride and Prejudice.
'Filled with comic flare and visual sparkle' (The Stage) enjoy a splendid summer evening meeting Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters on their own quest for true love.
Again, doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased online.
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Events galore at Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall this summer
The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival returns to Harrogate this summer bringing with it all the colour, humour and spectacle of Britain’s greatest comedy opera writers.
Taking place from 10 to 21 August at the Royal Hall, Harrogate Convention Centre and selected venues in the region, the festival promises all your favourites from the best Gilbert & Sullivan companies alongside a packed programme of fringe events.
The spectacular Royal Hall theatre will once again provide a home for the main programme of performances throughout the festival. As well as a fantastic programme of shows in the Royal Hall there is a full schedule of fringe events taking place at other venues in the region.
The comic operas and festivities at the Royall Hall will be followed by Al Murray's Gig for Victory tour on 2 September and the Orchestra of Opera North on 3 September, which is part of Ripon International Festival.
For details on more upcoming events at Harrogate Convention Centre and the Royal Hall please visit the venue’s website.
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Celebration of modern British abstract paintings
You've got until 4 September to see some of the biggest names in Modern British Abstract art, including John Hoyland, Patrick Heron, Gillian Ayres and Albert Irvin at Harrogate's Mercer Art Gallery.
Celebration is a stunning collection of 60 paintings – several on a heroic scale – from 12 leading British Abstract artists, including Yorkshire’s Patrick Heron and John Hoyland, along with acclaimed contemporary Abstract painters, Mali Morris and Fred Pollock.
The exhibition is mainly drawn from one outstanding private collection, with supporting works loaned from the artists themselves or their estates. Highlights include several paintings by Sheffield-born John Hoyland, one of the most inventive and dynamic abstract painters of the post-war period.
Celebration also features the work of Patrick Jones, Gary Wragg, John Edwards, Douglas Abercrombie and John McLean.
"Painting is a visual language" explains curator of the Mercer Art Gallery, Karen Southworth. "You don’t need to understand it, you just need to be open to these loud, colourful canvases and allow yourself to engage.
"It's the perfect exhibition to get young people interested in art this summer too. We have placed plenty of seating around the gallery to encourage people to linger and experience the art slowly. Don't judge it – just enjoy it!"
The paintings are accompanied by short quotes from the artists, which will replace the usual biographies and curator-led interpretations. There will also be several armchairs placed throughout the gallery inviting people to sit, look and think about how a particular painting makes them feel.
The exhibition is free and is open daily from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm until 4 September.
You can find out more about the exhibition on the Visit Harrogate website.
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 From next year there will be a new single council in North Yorkshire, replacing the seven district and borough councils and the county council.
Having one council means services can be strengthened and joined up to improve the quality of life and opportunities for people across North Yorkshire. It will also save money, by reducing duplication, which can be put back into frontline services and support local priorities and decision-making.
Currently, we all have slightly different council tax reduction schemes, and by law North Yorkshire Council must introduce a single scheme covering the whole of the North Yorkshire area.
Council tax reduction is a discount that helps people on low incomes pay their council tax bill. The proposal is to introduce an income banded scheme that is more supportive, with the maximum level of reduction for the people most in need.
The changes to the council tax reduction scheme will affect working-age households in the North Yorkshire area who will get council tax reduction from 1 April 2023. Pension-age households will not see any change as the scheme to support this group is set out by central government.
Most applicants will get the same support as they do now and many will be better off. Although some households will have a little more to pay, the proposals set out plans for a hardship fund so that anyone affected who needs additional help will be supported.
You can let us know what you think of the proposals for a new council tax reduction scheme for North Yorkshire Council by taking part in the consultation online.
You can have your say up to midnight on 18 September.
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Pilot scheme to make council-owned properties energy-efficient
We've recently launched an ambitious pilot scheme to make council-owned properties across the Harrogate district as energy-efficient as possible.
We have a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for the borough by 2038. To ensure our housing stock of around 4,000 homes supports this vision, a comprehensive programme is required.
The pilot scheme on 85 properties involves installing energy-efficient heating systems, insulation, glazing and solar panel, for example. If it proves to be a success, the retrofitting of all properties will start soon after with a completion target of mid-2033.
Watch this space for further news.
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The Man Who Captured Sunlight...
The incredible, thrilling and dramatic story of Samson Fox, Mayor of Harrogate from 1889-1892, is coming to life on stage this September.
An inventor who helped spearhead the Industrial Revolution; an impresario of his day – Samson Fox famously 'bottled the sun' as Harrogate's streets became the first thoroughfares in the world to be lit with his Fox Water-Gas invention.
Written by the Doctor Who writer, Gavin Collinson, it tells a fast-moving story packed with heart, humour and drama.
The Man Who Captured Sunlight, premiere will be at Harrogate's Royal Hall – 'Harrogate's glittering palace of gold' the theatre that Samson Fox, a philanthropist, helped to build.
A matinee and evening performance takes place on Friday 23 September. Details and ticketing info are available on the Harrogate Theatre website.
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Applying for a free school meal is now much easier
Are you a parent of a child at school? You could be missing out on £450 worth of free school meals.
The new application process means that all applications are now made electronically. In just a few simple steps and a matter of minutes parents will receive an instant decision on whether their application has been successful.
If your child is in Reception, Years 1 and 2 you are automatically eligible to claim a lunchtime meal for free.
Parents of children in Year 3 onwards can also benefit from free school meals if they are eligible for certain income support and allowances, support under the Immigration and Asylum Act, child tax credit, working tax credit or universal credit.
Many of us are feeling the pinch at the moment due to the cost of living. Don't miss out on a chance to save some money and give your child a healthy lunchtime meal.
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Love your local market
If you haven't done so before, why not visit our local markets and enjoy the feeling of shopping outdoors, chat to friendly market traders and soak up the historic marketplace settings?
Each week, we have an amazing range of traders with a wonderful mix of high quality products and expert advice. So get ready to fill your bags with breads, fresh fruit and veg, sweet treats, handy household items, fashion accessories and clothes.
Knaresborough market takes place every Wednesday between 7.30am and 3pm, while Ripon is every Thursday between the same times. Ripon also hosts a smaller Saturday morning market between 7.30am and 2pm.
Come and trade at our local markets
Fancy joining the traders in Knaresborough on Wednesdays and Ripon?
Stalls are surrounded by independent shops and stunning scenery which attracts a high number of local and day visitors throughout the year.
All new traders benefit from a discounted starter rate of £10.50 per pitch per day (starter rate applies to self-assembly of traders' own stalls for the first four weeks of trading). Thereafter a permanent trader (with own stall) pays just £19.50 in summer and £16.40 in winter per pitch per day (casual traders pay £22 per pitch per day).
Be part of something special in our local community. You can find out more on our website, by calling 01423 500600 or emailing: commercialservices@harrogate.gov.uk
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Come and join team Harrogate
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, flexi-time and a range of other benefits.
We're always looking for new people to join the team. We currently have the following vacancies:
Visit our jobs page to find out more about working for us and all the latest opportunities.
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