MPs warned energy bills are pushing Harrogate district businesses to ‘tipping point’

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has warned the area’s MPs that many businesses will soon reach a “tipping point” and have to close as soaring energy bills hit the high street.

Chamber chief executive David Simister said in letters to Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams that he had “grave” concerns for the outlook of high streets with the worst of the energy crisis yet to come ahead of the looming recession.

Mr Simister urged the MPs to put pressure on the government to “act now” and provide support for firms “before it is too late”.

He said:

“Whilst the focus seems very much to be on the cost of living crisis for homeowners, there is little being said about industry and commerce, and what, if any support, will be given to prevent businesses being forced to shut.

“Very soon, the 12-month, 50% business rates discounts is to end.

“This again is going to heap more financial woes on those who pay this tax to central government.

“Coupled with the rising costs of raw materials, fuel, the living wage, and National Insurance, many businesses will soon reach a tipping point, and unfortunately for some the only option will be to shut.”

Unlike households, small businesses’ bills are not covered by the energy price cap, which is set to go up in October when annual bills will average £3,554.

The Labour Party has proposed freezing the cap at the current level of £1,971 a year for households until April when it is hoped prices may start to ease.

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The party argues this would ease pressure on households and potentially give a boost to businesses as shoppers would have more money to spend.

However, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the two Conservative candidates competing to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister – have both rejected the plan.

The massive bill increases are already being felt by Harrogate district businesses and with further rises on the horizon, Mr Simister said many will simply not be able to cope with the double impact of shoppers cutting back spending.

He added these impacts were being felt even harder off the back of the covid pandemic which brought “two years of extreme difficulties for businesses”.

He said in his letter to MPs:

“For some, I fear the looming energy crisis, which is yet to bite, will be one storm too many to weather,”

“I urge you as our constituency MP to put pressure on your government colleagues to act now, not in two or three weeks’ time, to bring certainty, and hopefully some comfort, to business owners, including myself, who are incredibly worried.”

The three MPs have been contacted for comment.

Meeting called to hear concerns about state of River Nidd

Anglers, Yorkshire Water and Andrew Jones MP are to meet this month to discuss concerns about the quality of water in the River Nidd.

The meeting will focus on the foul smell and state of the river near Darley sewage treatment works.

But it will also consider the wider issue of the Nidd’s health, which is under the spotlight after a spate of young people who swam in it fell ill during last month’s heatwave.

Seven angling groups that fish from the source of the Nidd to where it flows into the Ouse will be represented at the meeting by Harrogate Fly Fishers’ Club, which is based in Darley.

The meeting, at Darley Memorial Hall, will also be attended by Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones, Darley and Menwith Parish Council and Yorkshire Water.

Anglers have requested Yorkshire Water provide data about the design and operation of Darley sewage treatment works.

The Environmental Information Regulations provide a statutory right of access to environmental information held by public bodies.

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David Clayden, honorary secretary of Harrogate Fly Fishers’ Club, said there were concerns about the amount of sewage being pumped into the Nidd and he hoped the meeting might lead to some answers. He said:

“We are trying to understand why Yorkshire Water think the Nidd is OK when it doesn’t seem like it is to us.”

Mr Clayden added that the river was fishing well but dead trout and grayling could often be seen floating on the surface.

The Nidd is predominantly a fly fishing river containing trout and grayling but the lower reaches contain significant numbers of coarse fish, such as roach and chub.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“We’re due to meet with the MP and the local angling group to discuss the operation of our treatment works, as well as listen to any points they would like to raise about the health of the river.”

Andrew Jones MP: ‘I’m backing Rishi Sunak’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has declared his support for Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership contest.

Former Chancellor Mr Sunak is regarded as the front runner of eight candidates vying to become party leader and the next Prime Minister.

Mr Jones said he supported the Richmond MP even though he, along with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had received a fine for breaching covid regulations.

Mr Jones previously said of Mr Johnson that “lawbreakers can’t be lawbreakers” but he said Mr Sunak’s situation was different:

“For most people that was a surprise as he turned up at Number 10 for a meeting and walked into the Cabinet room as the Prime Minister was being presented with a cake.  Once he received the fine he paid it.

“There was no dissembling, no denial and no appeal even though many thought it was harsh.  He accepted the ruling.  I think people understand the difference between that and the many months of changing claims that preceded the Prime Minister’s fine.”

Writing on his Community News website, Mr Jones added:

“We face challenging times so we need a Prime Minister who is strong and with proven economic ability and business credibility.

“In the field of foreign affairs we need someone already known and respected on the international stage to keep the pressure on Russia to quit Ukraine.

“The country needs someone who is consistent and transparent to reinvigorate trust in politics.

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Mr Sunak’s rivals have pledged tax cuts but he has warned against “comforting fairytales” and promised fiscal prudence instead.

Mr Jones’ comments do not mention tax cuts but address inflation at length.

“The new Prime Minister needs to look at those structural imbalances in our economy that make us susceptible to inflation.

“That means addressing our dependence on fossil fuels and boosting the productivity and capacity of the economy.

“While addressing these long-term structural problems he or she needs to protect those most affected by rapidly rising prices.  This may be through the benefits system, through increasing the living wage, through education in how to lower personal and household costs or through a variety of other means.”

Conservative MPs will vote in a secret leadership ballot today. Candidates who fail to get 30 votes will be eliminated. A new leader will be decided on September 5.

Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon MP, and Nigel Adams, Selby and Ainsty MP, whose constituencies both include parts of the Harrogate district, have yet to publicly say who they support.

 

 

 

Strayside Sunday: Thank God he’s gone. Now who’s for the top job?

Strayside Sunday is our political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

So, he’s gone. To coin a phrase “thems the breaks.” What a remarkable week it’s been in our national life. The man who delivered an 80-seat majority for the Conservative Party less than three years ago, the man who “got Brexit done” and the man who led the country (many, including me, say successfully) through the pandemic and vaccination rollout was dragged, kicking and screaming, from Downing Street. In my piece following the recent vote of confidence which Boris Johnson won I concluded that we were probably stuck with him for another year. I could not have been more wrong. A woeful Number 10 mishandling of the ‘Pincher by name, Pincher by nature’ affair brought the Prime Minister low – in brief, more lies and dissembling from the boss and his team about what was known of the sex pest’s historic misdemeanours before he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip.

In the end the Prime Minister lost the regard and trust of a staggering number of his ministers (over 50 of whom resigned within 48 hours) and he had to go. I’m glad. Boris Johnson was doing lasting damage to government, infusing it with his own Walter Mitty-like lack of integrity, lack of grip and inattention to detail. In the end he was indeed unfit for office. His colleagues knew it and finally grew the pair required to commit regicide. Fitting for the man-child who, as a boy, proclaimed he wanted to become World King.

The keen-eyed amongst you will have spotted Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, among those in Downing Street, supporting Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he gave his “resignation” speech from the government lectern. Mr Adams has been a staunch supporter of BoJo throughout his tenure, serving latterly as a Cabinet Office Minister. At one point Mr Adams reached across to the PM’s wife Carrie, offering his hand in sympathy. Having already announced his intention to stand down at the next election, Adams will thus be spared the verdict of the electorate on the wisdom of his choice in political friends. That verdict is likely to be damning indeed.

Ripon MP Julian Smith (sitting on a majority better weighed than counted) was, on the other hand, in no way supportive of the Johnsons. In an interview on the Today programme on Wednesday Mr Smith said the Prime Minister had suffered a “catastrophic loss of confidence” among Tory MPs, that his behaviour was Trumpian and, by refusing to step down, that he was causing a “constitutional crisis.” Smith, a former Northern Ireland Secretary, will no doubt be hopeful of renewed ministerial preferment under the next leader, whoever that may be…

Since the Brexit referendum British politics has seen one of the most turbulent periods in modern political life. Boris Johnson is now the third leader despatched by the Tory party in six years. Notwithstanding the poison in the chalice, at time of writing there seem to be no shortage of contenders-manque willing to vie for the crown.

It is often said that those who wield the dagger don’t inherit. If that’s true then neither Sajid Javid nor Rishi Sunak will win the leadership, even though arguably they both acted with principle in leading this week’s tidal waves of resignations from the Johnson government. Both are serious minded and would represent a significant upgrade on their predecessor. Other contenders have less to recommend them. Liz Truss is mad as a March Hare and thinks herself a latter-day Mrs Thatcher. Nadhim Zahawi still looks like a decent bet, although his contortions this week in accepting the position of Chancellor from Johnson one day, going on the media rounds to support the PM the next morning, before telling him to resign the following evening made Houdini look like a cheap carnival act.

The googly eyed Brexiteer Steve Baker was one of the first to declare (please God no; I don’t want government as yet another sinister “research group”), along with Attorney-General Suella Braverman (who’s that??). Grant Shapps has declared his intention, although he might well be too tarred by the Johnson brush for comfort – no one has been on the airwaves more in the past year defending the increasingly indefensible.  Jeremy Hunt, who came second last time around will no doubt be in the running. Another serious person who should warrant serious consideration. Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat round out the field. Both are eminently presentable, full of personality and would represent a generational fresh start that might well benefit the Conservatives come the next election. I want Rishi Sunak.

One man who will most certainly not be standing for the leadership is Harrogate’s own Andrew Jones MP. Having finally and belatedly come out against Boris Johnson he popped up again this week to support a Harrogate Borough Council bid for levelling up cash to fund the proposed redevelopment of the town’s white elephant Convention Centre. The council is understood to have bid for £20m from the government’s (no longer Boris Johnson’s) Levelling Up Fund. This would certainly take a useful bite out of the reported redevelopment budget of a staggering £47m, the costs for which will otherwise fall squarely on local taxpayers. Whether the project would, as Mr Jones says, “help provide a platform for Yorkshire and the Humber businesses domestically and for export, help to drive inward investment and support extensive employment opportunities” is open to conjecture. That Harrogate and surrounds is the type of place for which levelling up is designed, is not. This is a relatively wealthy place, so one admires Mr Jones’ chutzpah in making a public claim on a fund designed to address national inequalities.  With the Tories trailing in the polls and the Liberal Democrats resurgent locally it might not be a coincidence that our local MP has found his campaigning voice. Like his Conservative colleagues in government, better late than never.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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Andrew Jones MP calls on Boris Johnson to resign

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, has called on Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister.

It’s been a day of mass resignations at Westminster with Boris Johnson’s position becoming more precarious by the minute.

This afternoon Andrew Jones MP published a statement on his party’s Community News website calling for Mr Johnson to step down.

Mr Jones has already made his unhappiness with Mr Johnson clear when he voted against him in a confidence vote.

This was before the furore over the former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

In his statement Mr Jones said:

“Nothing has happened which has changed my opinion of the Prime Minister’s conduct since the no confidence vote just a few weeks ago when I voted no.  In fact the behaviours which put me in that position have continued.  This is disappointing as I was willing to give the Prime Minister time to change those behaviours but recent events show that he is unable to do so.  Indeed he has quite clearly said that he will not be changing.

“For that reason I think we have come to the end of the road with this Prime Minister.  It doesn’t take a genius to read the room.  The Prime Minister should do that and move aside for the good of the country and our politics.”

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In an update this evening, Conservative MP for Ripon & Skipton Julian Smith has also suggested that the PM should resign.

The Prime Minister is absolutely right in what he said just said at the liaison committee, 'all flesh is grass'. He must now take the lead in a responsible transition to ensure stable government for our country.

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 6, 2022

Obituary: Malcolm Neesam 1946-2022

It is doubtful whether anyone has known more about Harrogate’s people and places than Malcolm Neesam, who died on his 76th birthday this week.

Malcolm, who wrote about a dozen books and numerous other publications about the town, dedicated much of his life to telling Harrogate’s story. He did it better than anyone and will be remembered as the town’s greatest historian.

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the buildings and people that shaped Harrogate but he was also gentle and modest, and never boastful or condescending in print or real life.

Underpinning it all was a deep love for the town, and in particular the Stray.

Born in a nursing home on Ripon Road in Harrogate on June 28, 1946, Malcolm’s father worked for a rubber company that manufactured soles for footwear.

Sunday afternoon walks with his mother stimulated his interest in history at the age of six or seven. She would often talk about things they passed. “I didn’t need a playground,” he once said. “I had the Stray.”

He attended St Peter’s Church of England Primary School, “a very happy little school”, as he described it, and then Christ Church Secondary School for Boys. The school, which was situated between the Empress roundabout and Christ Church on the Stray, amalgamated with St Peter’s Secondary School for Girls to create St Aidan’s Church of England High School more than 50 years ago. Retirement flats now occupy the site.

In his last year at Christ Church, Malcolm’s parents noticed an advert for an assistant at Harrogate library and thought his developing interest in history would make him suitable.

Malcolm Neesam, August 1988

Photographed in London in 1988. Pic by Benedict Hess

After three years in that role he accepted a post at Leeds University studying archives and librarianship. He later attributed his thoroughness at gathering source material for books to his training as an archivist.

Malcolm then moved to Hereford for four-and-a-half years to set-up the city’s first children’s library service before moving further south to Northwood, in the London borough of Hillingdon close to the Metropolitan line, to work as an archivist for the Duchy of Lancaster.

Music librarian

He did this for three years before going to York, shortly before local government reorganisation in 1974, to become city music librarian.

But when reorganisation changed everything, Malcolm was offered a post by the new local authority as county music librarian, which involved buying music for county library services. Being a great lover of classical music, he was perfectly suited.

He stayed in York until 1996, overseeing new methods of administration, storage and repairs as technology changed and vinyl was replaced by cassettes and then CDs in North Yorkshire libraries. All the time he commuted from Harrogate.

He admired York’s decision to effectively pull out of North Yorkshire local government and become independent in the 1990s. Malcolm hated the trend towards ever more remote forms of local government, which will culminate in the creation of North Yorkshire Council next year and the abolition of seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council. He felt the more decision-making left Harrogate, the more the town lost control of its wealth and character.

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In 1996 he received an offer to work for an American company called Alumni Holidays, which arranged holidays for former university students.

He had done some guiding in York, which proved useful in his new role in which he gave lectures on subjects such as Scarborough, York and the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire architecture and Yorkshire literature. Alumni Holidays was horrified by his initial omission of James Herriot so the author was eventually added to his list of topics.

Malcolm worked for the company on a freelance basis for 10 years but the Madrid train bombing in 2004 severely disrupted business by leaving many Americans too afraid to travel to Europe.

Full-time writer

In 2006 he decided to concentrate on writing full-time. He had written short stories at school but didn’t let anyone see them. His writing career had begun in 1973 when the Library Association commissioned him to write a guide to children’s sci-fi called Into Space. It went to nearly every library in the country.

A founding member of the Harrogate Society, which later became Harrogate Civic Society, he was asked by local firms such as Ogden, Raworths and William Woods to write books for them. He also undertook research for plaques. His writing career, he said, “grew in stages”.

Harrogate in Old Picture Postcards was published in 1992, followed by Exclusively Harrogate in 1994 and Harrogate: A History of the English Spa from the Earliest Times to the Present in 2001. His works also included a centennial history of Harrogate Grammar School in 2003.

During this time he became, in the words of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, “the chronicler of our town”.

The two books of which Malcolm was proudest are Harrogate Great Chronicle 1332-1841, which was the product of 40 years work, and Wells and Swells: The Golden Age of Harrogate Spa, 1842–1923, which was published in April this year. His beloved Harrogate Club named its dining room in his honour at the book launch. By then, Malcolm was in the advanced stages of the cancer that would claim his life and it was a deeply emotional occasion at a place that meant so much to him.

Malcolm Neesam

Malcolm Neesam at the launch of his final book, Wells and Swells.

He started work on a third volume, covering Harrogate’s history since 1923, fully aware he was unlikely to finish it.

Before Malcolm, William Grainge, who died in 1895, was considered to be Harrogate’s foremost historian. Grainge had published books and short publications about the town in the 1860s and 1870s, but nothing substantial. Malcolm described Grainge’s style as “too chatty” whereas he focused more on the history.

He and the late Harold Walker, a historian and one-time editor of the Harrogate Herald, set up the Walker-Neesam archive, ensuring their collective research could stay for ever within the town.

His vast collection of papers and photo library will go to Harrogate’s Mercer Art Gallery. Organising them won’t be an easy task: thousands of brown envelopes assigned alphabetically by subject took up an entire room at his home.

Malcolm gave a typically modest answer when asked why he only wrote about Harrogate, saying: “Some writers can turn to anything. I can only write about things that interest me.”

Freedom of the Borough

Malcolm was instrumental in establishing the listing of many buildings in the town and in establishing the first conservation area. He was also the founder historian of the Harrogate Brown Plaque scheme.

He was a member of the Harrogate Club from the 1990s and adored the place and its history. Arthur Conan Doyle once played billiards there.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded him the Freedom of the Borough in 1996 for his services as a historian. He supported numerous local organisations, including Harrogate Dramatic Society and Harrogate Theatre, often sitting on their committees.

Unfailingly polite, he was nevertheless often reserved and diffident in public. He rarely talked about his private life but close friends say he had a keen sense of humour, which could border on the macabre at times, and was an excellent cook.

Besides music, he had a passion for reading, especially non-fiction history and Victorian fiction, such as Dickens, Thackeray and Jane Austin.

But his lifelong passion was Harrogate. He loved its wide streets, the Stray and shops, and felt the population was just about ideal.

He never married. His elder sister, Shirley, who had two sons, died three years ago. Malcolm’s two nephews live in Burnley and East Sussex.

Asked where he was happiest, he said: “It may seem obvious but just sitting on the Stray under a tree.”

Malcolm Neesam, historian and author, born June 28, 1946, died June 28, 2022

Tributes paid to ‘Mr Harrogate’ Malcolm Neesam

Tributes have been paid to celebrated Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam, who died yesterday.

Mr Neesam, who wrote some of the most authoritative books about Harrogate, died in the early hours of the morning on his 76th birthday.

He was a founder member of Harrogate Civic Society, whose chairman Stuart Holland described him as “an inspirational source of knowledge about our town”, adding.

“Always a gentleman in manner and appearance, Malcolm had an amazing way of recounting our history as a simple story.

“In his work with the civic society — originally the Harrogate Society — Malcolm was instrumental in establishing the listing of buildings in the town and establishing the first conservation area.

“He had an encyclopaedic memory of facts, people and places which made his presentations at meetings fascinating.

“As author of many books about the town, it was Wells and Swells, covering the golden age of Harrogate, 1842 to 1923,  that Malcolm will more recently be remembered for.

“Alongside his research and writing, Malcolm was the founder historian of the Harrogate brown plaque scheme, from presenting plaques on the Tewit Well and Magnesia Well in 1975 to a staggering 92 plaques around the town today.

“The Harrogate Civic Society will keep Malcolm’s name alive by continuing in his footsteps, celebrating our rich heritage and past.”

‘Chronicler of our town’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones wrote on his Community News website that Mr Neesam made a “profound” contribution to the area. He added:

“As a historian he was the chronicler of our town, and nobody knew more.

“His knowledge had depth and breadth, and he was always so generous in helping others tapping into that well of understanding. Malcolm was also passionate about music, and again his knowledge was huge.

“He cared deeply for Harrogate, its past and its future, using his unparalleled knowledge to inform debate.

“I recall very fondly many long conversations about our area and shared musical interests. As a very near neighbour I would see him regularly, and always enjoyed doing so.

“Malcolm was a Harrogate hero. He leaves a body of work that is impressive and an area much the better for all he did. This is indeed sad news, but we should give thanks as we think about him.”

Freedom of the borough

Harrogate Borough Council awarded Mr Neesam the Freedom of the Borough in 1996 for his services as a historian.

Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Malcolm had an enthusiasm and passion for the town and in 1996 was awarded the Freedom of the Borough for his services as historian of the town.

“On behalf of the borough council, I’d like to offer our deepest condolences and sympathy to Malcolm’s friends and family during this time.”

‘Forever Mr Harrogate’

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association and a friend of Mr Neesam, said:

“We will all be the poorer for the loss of Malcolm, ‘Mr Harrogate’, as he has been called. A true Harrogatonian who had a wealth of knowledge about our beautiful town and its history.

“He had a deep and abiding passion for this town and Malcolm knew more about our wonderful Stray, its origins and history, than anyone else. We will miss his knowledge and wisdom immensely.

“He will never be forgotten but be forever Mr Harrogate.”

 

Strayside Sunday: we have zombie leadership locally and nationally

Strayside Sunday is a monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

I write the morning after the night before the Wakefield and Tiverton by-elections, both of which proved (predictably) disastrous for Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party.  In Wakefield, Labour took the seat with a majority of 4,925 on a 12.7% swing.  In Tiverton, Tory since 1880, a massive swing of almost 30% saw the Sir Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats win with a majority of 6,144.  Conservative Party Co-Chair Oliver Dowden published a letter before 6am this morning, “taking responsibility” and falling on his sword.  Whether this is a put-up job, designed to draw the eye away from Boris Johnson’s actual responsibility, with a seat in the Lords to follow – after an appropriate passage of time – remains to be seen.  However, Dowden’s reputation is that of a decent fellow and, so rare in modern politics, let’s take it at face value that, as the man in charge of the by-election campaigns that led to crushing defeat, he has decided to do the decent thing and go.

It was Bill Clinton’s Louisianan campaign guru James Carville who, in 1992, coined the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid.”  And, in the end, it always is.  If the economy is in the tank, then it is almost impossible for governing parties to win elections, general, by or local.  And our economy is in serious trouble.  With inflation running at a 40 year high 10%, the cost-of-living soaring, with post-Brexit trade friction and severe global supply chain problems, the economic outlook is bleak and a recession looking and feeling increasingly likely.  At least interest rates, although on the up, are still in the low single digits.  With the price of petrol and diesel going through the roof – the Stray Ferret reported that diesel hit £2 per litre in Harrogate this week – with energy prices spiking and with the costs of the average food basket increasing by close to 50%, people are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.  As part of an economy drive, I would recommend that you avoid filling up at Wetherby services, which now boasts the most expensive fuel in the country.

If you ask pollsters there is only one question that counts in public opinion polling; “is the country heading in the right direction.”  The single largest determinant of the answer is the state of the economy and, as the Americans say, how that is hitting people in their pocketbook.  Unambiguously, most people are worse off now than they were a year ago and you are never going to win elections in that context.

That said you can’t discount the facts of the resignations of the former Conservative MP’s in Wakefield and Tiverton – criminal sexual assault and watching porn (twice) in the commons.  These combined with the litany of bad behaviour on behalf of the Prime Minister – ethics violations prior, during and including Partygate – take one’s mind back to the allegations of Tory sleaze that put paid to the last long-standing Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher and John Major.  This lot aren’t behaving properly just when we need maximum grab in Westminster.

Boris Johnson carries on, blithely disregarding that which practically everyone else in the country knows; he has lost any authority to govern in our names.  Yet on Boris blunders and blusters, now seemingly safe for a year’s grace, post-confidence vote, per Tory party rules.  If the attacks on him from within his party had been coordinated, rather than piecemeal, then the confidence vote against him would not have been forced until the by-election results were in.  But because the parliamentary party itself is a loose coalition of Red Wallers, Shire Tories, Right Wingers and One Nation Moderates, there was little shared enterprise in the bid to remove Johnson, rather a collection of individual malcontents from across the piece.  Nor is there an obvious successor from any wing.  I hope it’s not true, but because the plotters couldn’t get their act together, we may now be stuck with Johnson until 2023.

Closer to home we are stuck with Harrogate Borough Council for another 9 months until it is abolished and the North Yorkshire County Council unitary takes over.  Following the May local elections, a new executive team took over at NYCC, which has prompted a rethink about the controversial proposed Station Gateway Development here in Harrogate.  In two previous public consultations significant concerns have been raised by residents and business leaders about the impact of the development on traffic in the town.  Yet another consultation – specifically on traffic impacts – is now to be commissioned.  This is the politics of delay, of kicking the can down the road.  Whether or not Station Gateway ever does get the go-ahead is now an even money chance, linked so closely as it is with the now dead in the water Harrogate Borough Council.

It seems whether in Westminster, or at home in Harrogate, we face a period of zombie government, neither dead nor alive, ill-equipped to deal with the very serious issues confronting us all.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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Andrew Jones MP writes to Priti Patel about ‘law-breaking’ Travellers

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel about speeding up measures to evict Travellers who break the law.

The Conservative MP said the recent encampment at Hay-a-Park in Knaresborough produced “disorder and anti-social behaviour completely off the scale compared to that associated with previous traveller encampments in our area”.

Mr Jones said his comments were based on reports received from residents, police and landowner Harrogate Borough Council.

Writing on his Community News website, he said:

“Vandalism of property, damage to cars, late night motorbike and quad bike racing through residential estates, break-ins at barns, use of pavements and open space as a toilet were just some of the unpleasantness residents nearby reported and had to put up with.”

Mr Jones added that some Travellers had “took the openness and generosity of spirit which is the hallmark of our communities and simply abused it” and further action was needed to “protect the rights and property of residents against future incursions of this nature”.

Eviction currently takes place three days after notice is served.

“I have written to the Home Secretary asking her to look at ways in which enforcement can be brought forward on the advice of the police where law-breaking occurs from the activities of a travelling community.

“I have also written to our local Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, asking her to look at the policing of this encampment and to see if any improvements could be made with the benefit of this experience.

“Finally, I have asked the council to look at how it can secure public land more effectively and more anticipate the movements of travelling communities and provide appropriate sites to be used as layovers for them.”

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Mr Jones described the Traveller encampment as “a darker episode for many” amid recent celebrations, such as Knaresborough Bed Race and the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

“I want to make sure that local people and travelling communities can enjoy their everyday lives in peace.

“It is a shame when the minority act in a way that risks labelling the majority and that is what my actions are seeking to avoid.”

 

 

Aaron Bertenshaw’s family to fundraise at Knaresborough Bed Race

The family of Harrogate singer songwriter Aaron Bertenshaw, who died in December, will be raising money for Diabetes UK at this weekend’s Knaresborough Bed Race.

Aaron, a former pupil at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died aged 26 after struggling with diabetes and mental health issues.

Since his death, his mother Sammy Oates has been campaigning to plug the gap in services between people affected by the two conditions.

She is now lending her support to Diabetes UK’s new Diabetes is Serious campaign, which calls on the government to create a national recovery plan to support frontline healthcare teams getting diabetes services back on track after covid.

Ms Oates and Christine Holmes, a volunteer for Diabetes UK, will be part of a team operating a stand at Saturday’s bed race. The stand will provide information about diabetes and raise funds through a raffle and tombola. Tickets can be bought at the Worlds End and Castle Inn pubs in Knaresborough and The Blues Bar in Harrogate.

Supermarket Morrisons has agreed to match fund the sum raised.

Samantha Oates, Andrew Jones and Christine Holmes

(from left) Samantha Oates, Andrew Jones and Christine Holmes at the House of Commons.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who recently met Ms Oates and Ms Holmes at the House of Commons, is expected to draw the winning raffle ticket.

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Mr Jones said in a statement he “strongly supported” the Diabetes Is Serious campaign. He was one of 100 MPs who recently attended an event about it at the Commons. He added:

“Diabetes is a growing issue and has implications across other parts of healthcare including mental health as Samantha’s family story so powerfully shows.

“Samantha has taken an event that is very personal and painful and turned it into a campaign that is public and positive.

“It is impressive. I look forward to attending the Knaresborough Bed Race and supporting Samantha’s raffle raising money for Diabetes UK’s important work.”

Next week is Diabetes Week in the UK

A new Diabetes UK report revealed that 47% of people with diabetes in England experienced difficulties managing their condition in 2021. Sixty-three per cent attributed this in part to not having sufficient access to their healthcare team.

The charity, which organises Diabetes Week next week, said in a statement:

“Diabetes is serious and isn’t something you can ignore. If people do not receive the care they need, it can put them at risk of serious complications, which can lead to premature death.

“The coronavirus pandemic has created a backlog in the delivery of this routine yet vital care and, despite the tireless efforts of the NHS, many people living with diabetes are still struggling to access it.”

“We’re calling for an urgent recovery plan from the UK Government to tackle these devastating diabetes care delays before it’s too late. Urgent action is required now.”