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Season's greetings from Harrogate Borough Council
This is the December edition of Residents' News. It contains everything you need to know about our services over Christmas and the New Year, including waste and recycling collection dates and how to keep safe this festive period. As well as:
- Ensuring people aren't sleeping on the streets
- How you can support your local community
- Sharing your views on health and wellbeing facilities
- Events at Harrogate Convention Centre and Royal Hall
- PFCC precept consultation
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A seasonal message from the leader of the council and our chief executive
This is the last edition of Residents' News before the New Year, so we wanted to use this opportunity to reflect on 2022 and wish all of you the very best for the festive period.
It seems almost unbelievable that at the end of last year, we were trying to manage the challenges caused by the Omicron variant of Covid-19. And while the risk of serious illness has dramatically reduced, flu viruses are still prevalent during the winter months. So if you're eligible and you've not received your free flu vaccine we would urge you to do so.
Sadly, this is the last seasonal message we will be sending you as leader and chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council.
You may be aware that after almost 50 years of existence, the seven district and borough authorities in North Yorkshire and the county council are being replaced with a single unitary council on 1 April, to be known as North Yorkshire Council.
We are already working with our colleagues from all councils to help ensure you notice very little change to the many services you rely on. And while Harrogate Borough Council will cease to exist, we have no plans to sit back until this time.
Since the government's decision to transform local government across the county, we have persevered with several exciting and ambitious projects to ensure you continue to get the very best services and facilities from your local council.
Once again, some of our exceptional parks and open spaces have won either platinum or gold in the annual In Bloom awards. Supported by an army of volunteers and community groups, our parks team make sure they are always looking their best to attract thousands of visitors each year and help support our local economy.
Figures released earlier this year show the visitor economy of the Harrogate district is on the right path to recovery. And with some exciting events and marketing campaigns planned, we are confident that these figures will continue to move in the right direction in the future.
Thanks to your generosity, THE LOCAL LOTTO has now raised more than £200,000. Established in 2018 – and still the only one of its kind in the Yorkshire and Humber region – the lotto provides an alternative method for locally based voluntary and community sector groups to raise valuable funds for their worthy cause.
Since being launched last year, Brimhams Active – our health and wellbeing company – has gone from strength to strength. In the last 12 months, the team have welcomed more than 1.4million visitors, delivered close to 10,000 swimming lessons and helped people lose more than 1,200 pounds in weight.
Thanks to our multi-million-pound investment they can deliver these services in exceptional facilities.
The Hydro in Harrogate will offer a new 400sqm fitness suite, a new sauna and steam suite, improved reception and café, as well as an overhaul of the existing facilities. While in Knaresborough, the new leisure and wellness centre will provide a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.
Both facilities that will open next year will incorporate high-efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption.
And while all of these great facilities and services may no longer carry the name of Harrogate Borough Council, you can be assured that the people who greet with you a friendly smile and exceptional customer service will still do so, come 1 April.
All it leaves us to say is we hope you enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities and best wishes for 2023.
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 Councillor Richard Cooper
Leader of the council
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 Wallace Sampson OBE
Chief executive
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Festive information online
We've launched our annual Christmas and New Year information page on our website.
It contains everything you need to know about our opening times over the festive period, waste and recycling collection dates (which can also be found below), staying safe and protecting your family during the festivities, as well as our emergency contacts.
Knaresborough and Ripon markets are also taking a well-deserved break the week commencing 26 December, but will be back in the New Year.
Protect yourself this winter
During the winter period, Covid-19 and flu viruses spread more quickly and can cause serious illness.
So, if you're 50 or over, in an at-risk group or pregnant, for your best protection, boost your immunity now with the flu vaccine and Covid-19 booster. Many children are also eligible for a free flu vaccine.
Find out if you're eligible on the NHS website.
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Ensuring people aren't sleeping on the streets
We believe no one should ever be sleeping on the streets, and should an individual or a family become homeless we have a statutory responsibility to prevent this and several options available.
This includes working with families, landlords or mortgage providers to help people stay in their homes, provide financial support to cover arrears or identify alternative private rental accommodation.
Additional to this, when all other options have been exhausted, is our temporary accommodation – including hostels in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough – to ensure residents have somewhere safe to stay and not end up sleeping on the streets.
If we have no availability in our hostels, or they are not suitable for the individual or family, then we may need to place them in a B&B or a hotel temporarily.
To protect those using them (some of which are vulnerable), we are reluctant to disclose what accommodation we use and when. But we will often use a variety, depending on availability and any specific needs that may be required, for example accessible rooms.
The cost of using B&Bs or hotels will understandably vary throughout the year but on average in the last 12 months, it has cost around £25,000 per month and is subsidised through housing benefits.
During this time, a dedicated housing options officer works with each household (alongside partner organisations) to ensure the correct support is provided. This includes health and wellbeing support, budget advice and independent living skills.
This is a short-term arrangement until either a vacancy within our hostel accommodation becomes available or a more permanent housing solution found.
You may remember reading in a previous edition of Residents' News about Fern House, our purpose-built homeless accommodation that was opened in 2021. The accommodation is made up of 19 self-contained bedrooms complete with en-suite bathrooms and kitchen facilities. The facility also provides a complete support package for individuals who are homeless. During the winter months it also provides SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Provision) for single people that may be rough sleeping in Harrogate.
We are committed to providing decent and quality homes for everyone in the Harrogate district. To achieve this, we have a number of plans in place; such as requiring developers to provide a specific amount of affordable housing (40 per cent or 30 per cent depending on location), building our own stock through our housing company Bracewell Homes, as well as encouraging private landlords to return empty properties back into use.
Tackling homelessness is something that all local authorities face but we are determined to meet these challenges and ensure no one ends up sleeping on the streets.
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Waste and recycling collection changes
We've have made some minor changes to waste and recycling collection days this festive period. This year, there will only be changes the week commencing Monday 26 December…
Collections will return to normal on Monday 2 January. If you're unsure, you can check on the In My Area section of our website.
During the festive period, more waste is produced than at any other time of year and a lot of it can be recycled or reused. Below is a reminder about some of those extra seasonal items that residents can recycle:
Blue bags
- Christmas cards, envelopes and Christmas crackers (but not if they are metallic or have glitter on them)
- Wrapping paper (must pass the 'crunch test')
- Brown cardboard and corrugated cardboard packaging
- Christmas catalogues and brochures
Black boxes or blue-lidded wheelie bin
- Recycle the foil from your mince pies and turkey (please rinse first)
- Glass food jars and glass bottles
- Plastic bottles, cardboard food and drinks cartons and drinks cans (washed and squashed)
- Light-coloured plastic packaging and plastic food trays (again, please rinse first)
If you're employing an individual or business to remove waste from their property or business you have a responsibility to ensure they dispose of it legitimately.
The easiest way to do this is to check they have a waste carriers licence (Upper Tier). This can be done on the Environment Agency's website or by calling 0370 850 6506. We advise asking for a receipt documenting the waste that was taken, by who and at what cost.
More information about fly-tipping is available on our website.
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'Tis the season… to support your local community
With just days to go before the festive period, you may be running out of gift ideas or looking for a New Year's resolution.
Here's a suggestion from us; why not support a local good cause by playing THE LOCAL LOTTO and start the year by giving something back to your local community? There are 114 local community groups and charities to choose from, all of whom need your support more than ever.
Tickets* cost £1 and 60p from every ticket sold goes back into good causes across the Harrogate district. As well as the chance of winning cash prizes of £25,000, £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets each week.
Visit THE LOCAL LOTTO website to find out more and sign-up.
*Players must be 16 years or over
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Do you need to boost funds for your community group or charity? If so, start fundraising with THE LOCAL LOTTO.
You'll gain FREE access to a fantastic online fundraising tool where you can raise unlimited, unrestricted year-round funds. Sign-up and go live by 26 February to also be entered into the Lottery's 'WIN £250 CASH FOR YOUR CAUSE' draw.
It's free, quick, and easy to register to fundraise through THE LOCAL LOTTO. Once your charity has been approved you'll get the following benefits:
- The ability for your supporters to give, with a chance to win up to £25,000 weekly (plus bonus prizes)
- Your own website page on the lottery site
- A wealth of marketing materials and support
- A steady monthly income for your good cause
There is no catch, it's free to use THE LOCAL LOTTO to fundraise for your charity. Of every £1 lottery ticket, 50 per cent goes to the good cause (paid out every month), 10 per cent goes to THE LOCAL FUND for the Harrogate District (used to fund good causes in the area through an annual community small grant scheme), 20 per cent goes to the prize pot and 20 per cent goes to the administration and running costs of the lottery.
Further information can be found in the terms and conditions or by emailing local.lotto@harrogate.gov.uk.
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Additional support available
Local community food providers are here to help you and your family if you find yourself in need of food over the festive period.
They can provide you with food parcels, including basic provisions and some provide cooked meals or a combination of both. Please contact your nearest provider to find out how they can help you (all enquiries are dealt with in strict confidence).
Donations of food or gifts are also needed if you can help.
There is also local support available to you if your financial situation has changed and you need help with household payments, debts or living costs.
On our website, you'll find a page that lists financial help and support available, as well as advice on keeping warm and making your home as energy efficient as possible.
If you require support for any of our services and wish to speak to someone you can call us on 01423 500600.
A useful leaflet produced by Northern Powergrid, Northern Gas Networks and Yorkshire Water has been produced to show you how to save money on your electricity, gas and water, as well as how to reduce waste and stay safe at home this winter.
The Energy Savings Trust also has information on how to reduce your carbon emissions and lower your energy bills. So, whether that involves being more energy efficient, generating renewable energy, switching to a green tariff or insulating your home to keep the heat in, they've got advice and information to help.
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Share your views to help Brimhams Active provide great service
Brimhams Active – our health and wellbeing company – is keen to understand what influences people to be active and healthy and what stops people from doing more.
Their priority is to ensure they meet our residents' health and wellbeing needs, provide the best possible customer service and increase the opportunities for Harrogate district residents to move more, live well and feel great.
They are looking to gather the views of people who do not regularly access services at a Brimhams Active facility.
We'd love it if you could complete this short survey (should only take a few minutes) to help develop and inform the services delivered by Brimhams Active.
All responses are anonymous and once you have completed the survey (closes 31 December) you will receive a link to enter our free prize draw to win a free 12-month membership for you and a friend.
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Are you ready for 2023?
Gilbert and Sullivan Festival – New Year Gala Weekend (7 January) will help you celebrate the New Year in style. Fans of classic anthems and the greatest hits are in for a treat: this acclaimed Hello Again – the Neil Diamond Story at Royal Hall (21 January) uses evocative imagery, video and narration to enhance the musical journey through Neil Diamond's glittering 50-year career; The Classic Rock Show (30 January) pays tribute to its favourite rock heroes through legendary performances from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, The Who, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, Queen, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and many more.
Come What May (3 February) presents to you an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza as this ultimate tribute to Moulin Rough takes you on a thrilling non-stop journey into the sexy, disreputable and glamorous underworld of Paris, while The ELO Experience (4 February) offers a sensational tribute to The Electric Light Orchestra with a superb string section, stunning light show and large screen projection.
Those with an appetite for danger and adventure should not miss Jason Fox – Life at the Limit (31 January). The ex-special forces soldier, TV personality and author will bring to the stage stories of gunfights, hostage rescues, daring escapes and heroic endeavours that defined his service, as well as a very different battle that awaited him at home.
For details on future events at Harrogate Convention Centre and Royal Hall please visit the venue's website.
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PFCC precept consultation
Zoë Metcalfe, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and the City of York, has launched her annual consultation to gather the public's views on how much they are willing to pay in their council tax for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue services.
Each year, your council tax bill shows a breakdown of the proportion paid to both the police service and the fire and rescue service, known as a precept.
This year, more than ever, it is important that Commissioner Zoë hears from as many people as possible. She knows that many individuals and families are facing challenging times, but so are our services, and Commissioner Zoë wants to make sure that our police and fire services can continue to invest in the vital work they do for our communities to keep everyone safe.
Before setting the levels of precept, Zoë would like to know your views on possible options (open until midnight on 16 January).
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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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