Lib Dems criticise Harrogate MP for supporting return to parliament

The Liberal Democrats have labelled Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, “deeply irresponsible” for voting in favour of MPs returning to parliament.

Yesterday, MPs queued outside of Westminster for over 90 minutes to vote on whether or not they should return to London.  The Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg put forward the vote arguing that the virtual system didn’t allow MPs to hold the government to account effectively.

The proposal was carried forward, with 261 votes to 163. 31 Tory MPs though, voted against the return.

The Lib Dems said he was setting a “dangerous precedent”. Judith Rogerson, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“With the Government continuing to advise that people should work from home where possible, it is extraordinary that the Conservatives have voted to take away the system which had allowed MPs to do just that. Forcing MPs to decide between risking their health and that of their family and constituents, and depriving their constituents of their voice in Parliament is deeply irresponsible.”

Read more: 

There has been criticism too from MPs who are at risk due to age or health conditions and those living with vulnerable people, who said they could be left without a voice in parliament.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones for the reasons behind his vote in favour of a return to parliament. But we received no response.

 

Harrogate MP writes to media bosses to seek assurances over Stray FM

Andrew Jones has written to the parent company of Stray FM to seek reassurances over the radio station’s future.

In a post on his website, the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP said he was “disappointed” that Bauer Media’s “winning formula is set to change.”

Bauer announced five days ago that Stray FM, which has covered the district since 1994, will come off the air and become Greatest Hits Radio. There will be a regional drivetime show for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire but the majority of the programming will follow the national schedule.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Last week, there was a huge outcry on social media from people who have fond memories of the radio station.

That led the Liberal Democrats to launch a petition last week calling for Bauer Media to reverse its decision to replace Stray FM with a national radio station.

Read more about this story:

Mr Jones said:

“It’s local, it’s interesting, it’s current and it’s presented by people we know and trust. But it’s more than that. It is a radio station that supports local events and charities. It’s a station that supports the community and the community repays this by supporting the station.”

Strayside Sunday: Condemning Cummings is a political ‘freebie’ for Andrew Jones MP

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political column written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party:

This week has seen a flurry of proposals from local leaders to reinvigorate Harrogate and its economy as we begin to emerge from lockdown: North Yorkshire County Council has set up an in-house taskforce; Independent Harrogate has published a 1700-word mission statement with its proposals for Harrogate town centre; and we have even heard from Harrogate’s Lib Dems (remember them?) with their idea of creating multiple, Coronavirus Recovery Teams.  It’s reassuring to know that there is no lack of appetite, dearth of ideas or offers of industry to make Harrogate thrive.

My suggestion in last week’s Strayside Sunday that Harrogate lacked the magic ingredient – that of leadership – to harness this obvious and abundant energy seemed to touch a nerve and elicited lively correspondence, for which thank you.

In addition to innate qualities of vision and energy, leadership needs both a platform and method to flourish.  Around the world, imaginative governments, whether national or local, have used a technique called Citizen’s Assemblies to bring together often vehemently opposing groups to discuss and reach a negotiated settlement on highly contentious issues. This method, in which professionals facilitate a group of between 100 and 160 socio-demographically representative people for an intense period of what is called deliberative consultation, is well proven.  Among other successes, it led to a change to the Irish Constitution to allow gay marriage, to a new proportional voting system in British Columbia, Canada and to the creation of the NHS Constitution here at home.

If it can achieve those potentially contentious things, a Citizens Assembly here in Harrogate could certainly bring together Independent Harrogate and Zero Carbon Harrogate to work our way through the car versus bike, parking versus cycle lane debate.  So come on Mr Jones and Mr Cooper, grab your chance to lead and create a nation-leading model for unifying people and interests in the name of covid recovery.  You’ll find no shortage of willing and qualified participants, you’ll energise the town, and you’ll make a name for yourselves nationally. Think big, be big.

Talking of making a name for yourself, Dominic Cummings has been the national news story of the week. Dominic is a formidable political strategist, but, in common with many intellectually gifted people, he doesn’t suffer fools, nor is he in any way reticent with his views.  In my experience he holds the political classes in contempt, whether they be politician, civil servant or party apparatchik.  He is self-consciously out of step with the accepted norms of political behaviour.

Boris Johnson knows that without Cummings, the government will lose its’ policy conscience, lose the driving force behind the “levelling up” agenda, and still the beating heart of the Conservative’s stated objective for this parliament, coronavirus or no, to bring jobs and socio-economic progress to the Red Wall seats here in the North.  No wonder Boris is loath to let him go.  But let him go he must, or the Prime Minister risks fatally undermining his own position of trust with the Great British Public.

Harrogate MP Andrew Jones was quick to condemn him. It’s good to see our MP getting involved in a heated public debate for a change, even though in political terms going after Mr. Cummings is a freebie, with little or no personal political risk.  Andrew Jones is a remainer though (albeit one who voted for every iteration of the Brexit deal) who’s unable to find ministerial preferment in BoJo’s heavily Brexiteer team.  Nonetheless, more of this ‘sharp-elbowed’ engagement please Mr. Jones.

Finally, the town’s cyclists taught me a new word this week, namely Todesrinne.  This, translated from the German, means “death gutter” and is used to describe the narrow cycle lanes which are painted on the periphery of existing road surfaces.  The German’s have a knack for capturing the essence of a thing in their language and in this case its instructive. Not all cycle lanes are created equal and, when we do get them, as we must, they need to be properly planned and integrated, rather than painted on as a symbolic afterthought.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Got a view on my views? You can get in touch with me on paul@thestrayferret.co.uk 

 

Did you contact your MP calling for Dominic Cummings to go?

Did you contact your MP demanding Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s top aide, to be sacked?

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has reportedly called for Mr Cummings to resign or be sacked saying he broke the guidelines- the Stray Ferret cannot remember a time when Mr Jones went against the government whip like this. Was he reacting to the demands of his constituents and his inbox bombarded?

There has been no word from Ripon and Skipton MP, Julian Smith. He was appointed Chief Whip in Theresa May’s government from 2017 to July 2019.

Mr Cummings is the centre of a political storm after it was revealed that he travelled from London to Durham with his wife and four year old child during lockdown, when his wife had covid symptoms. One report alleges a witness saw Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham on 12 April.

The prime minister said yesterday at the 5pm coronavirus briefing that he held “extensive” discussions on Sunday with Mr Cummings, who he said “followed the instincts of every father and every parent – and I do not mark him down for that”.

But despite Boris Johnson’s briefing and senior cabinet members publicly supporting Mr Cummings – a number of backbench MPs have started to call for him to resign. A reflection perhaps of the public mood in their constituencies.

 

What have our MPs been doing for the last eight weeks?

After the first four weeks of lockdown, The Stray Ferret reported on the activity of our two MPs and what role they were playing in tackling coronavirus. We had struggled to establish exactly what they’d been doing.

It’s now eight weeks since lockdown, the country has faced its biggest ever public health emergency, and we have asked them to tell us more about their activity during this time. Again, we did not receive an answer, so here is what we know based on information publicly available.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In Harrogate- here is what we found on Mr Jones:

 

 

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon- here is what we found on Mr Smith:

What would you like your MP to being focusing on as we ease out of lockdown? Here’s what a number of people from both constituencies asked.  Have you been in touch with your MP? Have they been helpful? Get in touch with us and tell us how.

 

What would you like to ask the district’s MPs?

The Stray Ferret asked people in both Harrogate and Ripon constituencies what questions they had for their local MPs.

In Harrogate, the questions centred on how the town centre is going to bounce back after restrictions are lifted and what support is going to be in place for both people and businesses.

Here is what people in the town had to ask Andrew Jones MP.

Phil Argent, CEO of Tenancy Stream, said:                                          “Businesses are going to have to try and start again and are not going to have the footfall that they once did. How exactly is Harrogate going to bounce back from lockdown?”

 

Jan Bathurst, team leader at Harrogate District Food Bank, said:               “Once lockdown is lifted, what support is going to be in place for vulnerable people both in terms of financially and food?”

 

Kimberley Wilson, owner of The Camberley Hotel and chair of Accommodation Harrogate, said: “I would like to know when we are going to have the Harrogate Convention Centre back and what is going to happen with events going forward?

In Ripon, the questions hit a different tone. There was an anxiety over how vulnerable people will cope and what the government is going to do to address rural poverty which some fear will be worse after lockdown.

This is what the people of Ripon wanted to ask Mr Smith:

Dave Robinson, chair of Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd: “The coronavirus crisis has served to emphasise the need for rural communities to come together and make best use of their facilities for local residents. As previously indicated by you, once the crisis is over, can we count on your support in our campaign to save the historic Henry Jenkins Inn in Kirkby Malzeard, reestablishing the Asset of Community Value over the whole site and protecting its status as a community amenity for the three villages in our expanding parish?”

Phil Marley, owner of Marley’s Butchers, Ripon: “The worrying scale of rural poverty in Ripon and surrounding areas, has become even clearer with the coronavirus crisis. We are doing our bit as a business to help families and individuals in dire need, but people cannot rely on charity forever. As I see it, the financial situation can only get worse, particularly as unemployment is likely to rise when small businesses go bust because of the money they have lost. What do you think the government can do to assist places like Ripon in keeping businesses open and helping the poorest in our society?”

Alison Hope, No 12 Greengrocers, Masham:                                                  “Local farmers are working around the clock in the crucial role of keeping us all fed. Many are working in difficult circumstances, with concerns for their future. What have you been doing to support our local farming community during the crisis?”

 

All of these questions were submitted to Andrew Jones and Julian Smith at the end of last week. We are still waiting to hear back from both MPs.

Calls for temporary cycles lanes and lower speed limits in Harrogate district

Cycling campaigners and environmental groups in the district have called for “pop up”  temporary cycle lanes and lower speed limits to encourage people to continue cycling and help walkers with social distancing.

Jemima Parker of Zero Carbon Harrogate said the group has written to Andrew Jones MP and David Bowe, the county council Corporate Director Business and Environmental Services, asking for temporary changes.

Zero carbon Harrogate would like to see a 20mph speed limit in urban areas, more street space allocated for “active travel” (pedestrians, mobility scooters and cyclists) and encouragement for cars to be parked on the road rather than the pavement.

Harrogate District Cycle Action has published a list of “post-lockdown travel improvements” that, amongst others, include:

In Knaresborough, town councillor Hannah Gostlow has urged the County Council which is in charge of highways to reduce the speed limit to 20mph between King James School and High Bridge in Knaresborough and around the towns schools, as well as increasing cycle lanes in the town.

“Our High Street is usually a fast and busy road that discourages cyclists, narrows our footpaths for pedestrians, and disconnects shops from the town centre, this scheme aims to let our town recover and breathe again. As well as a 20mph scheme I would also like to see cycle lanes where possible, and local businesses encouraged to take a lead on green transport initiatives”

The calls for parking bays to be made into cycle lanes in Harrogate are at odds with Independent Harrogate, the body which represents the town’s independent retailers. It’s called for free parking to be kept indefinitely to encourage more people to come into Harrogate by car when the shops finally open.

The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire County Council for a comment. It said it was working to give a response as soon as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

What role are the districts two MPs playing in this crisis? 

The Stray Ferret has tried to establish what role locally the district’s two MPs have played in the weeks since lockdown began – with little success.   

The House of Commons has been in recess since March 25th and is due to resume tomorrow, so neither has been required to be in Westminster.

A month ago at the start of lockdown the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, announced he was launching a scheme to match people who were self-isolating with someone who could help them. He sent out 9,000 emails to constituents asking them if they needed support or if they could provide help – saying his team would help match them.  

Andrew Jones MP

Mr Jones has since kept a low profile about this work– with no detail on how his scheme is progressing or how he is supporting his constituency. Last week the Stray Ferret reported on how care homes are crying out for support from their local MPs to help them source PPE. We asked Mr Jones at the time if he wished to make a comment but he declined.  

In the absence of information, The Stray Ferret today contacted a number of the local volunteer networks and business organisations.  They told us Mr Jones has had no involvement in their work which some said had disappointed them. 

It’s a similar picture in Ripon:

Julian Smith MP

Julian Smith, conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton too has remained silent about his work locally. The Stray Ferret has tried to contact him on the telephone and has sent four emails to his office since March 18th, in which  we have sought his views on issues affecting his largely rural community.  Mr Smith has not responded. We have contacted coronavirus volunteer groups in the area and they said he has not been in touch. 

The Stray Ferret has looked into the work of other conservative MPs in Yorkshire by way of a comparison- a number have communicated more often and appear to be more openly involved in the issues their constituents are facing.

The Stray Ferret asked the district’s MPs these questions again earlier today:  

To Mr Jones:

To both MPs:

Neither MP has responded to our questions.

When the Nightingale Hospital opens tomorrow at the HCC, it’s likely Mr Jones will be present to thank those involved. What’s less clear is what work our elected MPs have done to support their constituents in the past month.