North Yorkshire County Council looks poised to dismiss moves by Green and Liberal Democrat councillors to accelerate the response to thr climate change and biodiversity crises, claiming they could be counter-productive.

The council’s Conservative-run executive will consider two environmental notices of motion that councillors were prevented from debating at a full council meeting in July, with the authority’s chairman instead opting to refer the proposals to its cabinet members.

Both motions propose the establishment of a new committee specifically to scrutinise the council’s progress and leadership in tackling climate change and establishing biodiversity plans to ensure oversight of the collective ambition of the council.

Since losing its overwhelming majority at the May elections, the Tory-led council has been facing mounting pressure, particularly from the Liberal Democrat and Green groups, to redouble its climate change and biodiversity efforts and allow opposition councillors to play a greater role in shaping such policies.

An officers’ report to the executive states the creation of a new scrutiny committee would take the number of such forums at the council to seven.

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It adds the council’s scrutiny function is under review as part of the establishment of a new unitary authority and recommendations would be brought before all elected members later this year.

One of the motions also calls for the creation of a new executive member to reflect the scale of the job, but the officers’ report highlights the executive already has the maximum number of members allowed under the county council’s constitution.

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Bryn Griffiths, who represents Stokesley, said the officers’ report failed to fully address the high priority and action needed to effectively deal with climate change and the ecological emergency in North Yorkshire.

He said: 

“I think the points we put forward to deal with that are still valid and worthwhile objectives that the council should be taking on board and should be fully debated by the full council.”

The council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Carl Les said the executive’s debate and recommendations to the next full meeting of the authority in November would focus on how the authority could best manage the impacts of climate change.

He said: 

“It is a hugely important issue to us. It seems to me that the Greens and Lib Dems are suggesting we have to have a special executive member and a special scrutiny committee, but we believe the climate change and biodiversity issues cut across everything that we do.

“The approach that we are taking by embedding it into everything we are doing, so every report we produce now examines the climate change impact, is better.”

When asked if the decision to reject specialist climate change roles and groups at the council was politically-fuelled, Cllr Les said: 

“Not at all. All our scrutiny committees have the ability to look at climate change implications.

“If anything they have more influence and control over what we are doing than what is being proposed.”

Constituents can now find out what Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has been up to through his new Instagram account.

Many politicians use the photo friendly Instagram network to show a gentler side, away from the often brutal battlegrounds of Twitter and Facebook.

In 2018, Conservative MPs were even given training to improve their Instagram skills with polling suggesting the platform could help show they are “real people”.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has 92,000 followers, has used Instagram to cultivate her image. She’s posed with cats, showed off her baking skills and met celebrities like Taylor Swift.

Time will tell if Mr Jones decides to show us what he’s had for breakfast. He’s so far posted a video of him meeting constituents at Knaresborough Market and a photo from outside the House of Commons.

So far, his account has 12 followers and it follows the accounts of Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, the Conservative Party and 10 Downing Street.

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Mr Jones would probably admit that other politicians are more natural performers on social media.

After the murder of David Amess MP last year, he spoke out about the “personal and toxic narrative” against MPs online. A search of his Twitter mentions reveals almost daily insults.

A couple of years ago, he set his Twitter account to retweets only and stopped directly engaging with people through the platform.

However, with a general election possibly just 18 months away, his renewed presence on social media could signal an attempt to connect to younger voters in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

But although Mr Jones has opened up new lines of communication, others appear to remain shut. The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones why he set up the account but, as usual, we did not receive a response.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has strongly criticised claims that he voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.

Mr Jones said in the Conservative run Community News website that the environment was “being weaponised, deliberately, cynically, falsely” and that the claims were “simply a lie.”

Images of raw sewage being pumped into waterways reignited a debate around whether MPs had voted to allow it.

265 Conservative MPs, including Mr Jones, voted to stop Amendment 45 to the Environment Bill in October last year.

The amendment would have forced water companies to reduce the amount of sewage they discharged and pay for its environmental damage.

At the time, he said it had been “poorly planned and drafted”.

He subsequently supported a government amendment to make water companies provide a “costed plan” for how to reduce the amount of sewage.

People boating on the River Nidd at Knaresborough

Nidd concerns

Local criticism has concerned the safety of the River Nidd.

The Stray Ferret reported back in 2020 that it had failed chemical tests and that the water contained unsafe levels of chemical sewage.

More recent data revealed that there were around 1,000 sewage incidents in the river in 2021.

The local Liberal Democrats launched a petition on the issue earlier this year calling for a sewage tax to raise money to clean rivers.

The party’s county councillor for Knaresborough West, Matt Walker, said:

“My colleagues and I have spoken to dozens of parents whose children have become violently ill after swimming in our river, something that should be safe for them to do.

“The Nidd is huge draw for locals and tourists, we need to invest and protect what we have and that means tough action.”

However, Mr Jones argued that the practice of using sewage storm overflow drains had been done for a hundred years.

That, he noted, included when the Lib Dems were in government with the Conservatives.

Knaresborough Liberal Democrat councillors Hannah Gostlow and Matt Walker

To that, cllr Walker responded:

“New figures… show a dramatic increase in the amount of sewage released since 2016 – an increase of 2,553%. An increase under a Conservative Government.”

Shan Oakes, a Green town councillor in Knaresborough, said the town council was planning to apply for designated bathing status for a stretch of the Nidd.

She hoped that it would mean that something had to be done about its poor water quality.

Cllr Oakes blamed the government for the current situation:

“With the current situation where water is privatised, the government does not hold [water companies] to account as it should. The government has decimated the Environment Agency.”

What Yorkshire Water says

Yorkshire Water said sewage is not the only issue which affects river quality and that agriculture, businesses and plastics also have an effect.

The Environment Agency regulates discharges and companies must have permits in place.

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said:

“We know that our storm overflows operate more often than our customers, or we, would like and we’re working hard to make improvements across the region. We’re investing £790m to improve rivers across the region, including £137 million by 2025 to enhance, investigate and increase monitoring on storm overflows.”

The water company made an operating profit of £242 million in 2022.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss breezed into Harrogate today as part of her campaign to be the next Prime Minister.

Local Conservative Party members paid £10 to take part in an Ask Liz event at a private house on the Duchy estate. Attendees didn’t receive the address until this morning.

Those who arrived early made the most of the sunshine by sitting on a wall in front of the property, many dressed in their finest attire.

One woman said Ms Truss had “come across very well” at a recent hustings in Leeds, another said she was there to “see what she’s got to say”.

And there were mutterings that there was no support from MPs in the district, including Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP  Julian Smith. Both are backing rival leadership candidate Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Instead Alec Shelbrooke, MP for Elmet and Rothwell, hosted Ms Truss’s visit. He could be seen with other prominent members of the party waiting at the large black metal gates to greet Ms Truss.

Graham Swift thanks people for attending.

Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift, who the house is believed to belong to, was also spotted at the event.

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Stickers and signs emblazoned with the words ‘In Liz we Truss’ and ‘Liz for Leader’ were given out to visitors, as they were directed to a garden at the back of the house.

The press weren’t invited to attend, however the Stray Ferret captured a video of Ms Truss arriving in a black Range Rover, before she was whisked into the property by security, which included the Metropolitan Police.

Although the event was billed for 90 minutes, Ms Truss left after about 30 minutes and then made a fleeting visit to Harrogate town centre.

Liz Truss leaving the venue with her security entourage.

After a walk up Montpellier Parade, she was shown the sights of the Stray and the town’s war memorial, which was surrounded by people enjoying the 25 degree heat.

From there, the leadership hopeful headed into Bettys Tea Rooms armed with her entourage, before swiftly leaving to head down Parliament Street.

Passing the queue at Bettys. Pic: The Stray Ferret

With that she was gone on to the next leg of her campaign to defeat Sunak when party members vote to choose the next leader.

The result of the race to replace Boris Johnson will be announced on September 5.

A second Harrogate district MP has declared his support for Rishi Sunak in the race to become the next Prime Minister.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has publicly backed the former Chancellor of the Exchequer for the first time.

In a post on Twitter today, he said:

“Rishi has a proper plan to get us through the tough times ahead. He is committed to rebuilding the economy and delivering for our area.

“Only Rishi can unite our country and defeat Labour and he will have my full support in doing so.”

pic.twitter.com/FrgzJtxkSf

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 21, 2022

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has already given his support to Rishi Sunak.

Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams has yet to declare his allegiance. He has been a close ally of Boris Johnson, having publicly supported the outgoing PM on several occasions in recent months.

It has been reported that Mr Adams could be handed a peerage following Mr Johnson’s departure, which would then trigger a by-election in his constituency.

Mr Sunak will compete with Liz Truss to be elected leader of the Conservative party in September, after its members cast their votes.

The pair will take part in hustings events around the country over the next few weeks.

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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.

The Stray Ferret has approached all three Harrogate district Conservative MPs for their reaction to this evening’s momentous political developments.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid have both quit the Cabinet amid a row over the handling of misconduct claims against ex-Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher.

Their resignations have sparked frenzied speculation about more Cabinet resignations and whether Boris Johnson will survive as Prime Minister.

We have emailed Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby with Ainsty, asking for their reaction to the resignations and whether they feel Mr Johnson should resign. None has replied yet.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has retweeted Mr Sunak and Mr Javid’s resignation statements. Mr Smith has been critical of the government’s decision to rewrite parts of the Brexit deal.

Mr Jones is not active on social media but he was among the Conservative rebels who voted for Mr Johnson to step down last month.

Read more:

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Mr Adams, who is minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, is regarded as a Johnson loyalist. He last tweeted earlier today about England’s victory over India in the Test match.

David Goode, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, told the Stray Ferret:

“Johnson being Johnson will try to. hang on. Until the wider Conservative Party finally make a decision and get rid of him he will stay as long as he can.

“The Andrew Jones’ of this world have to step up and be counted now.”

The Liberal Democrats would win Harrogate and Knaresborough if a general election was held tomorrow, according to polling firm YouGov.

The company has published modelling based on 64 ‘blue wall’ Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground seats.

The seats were chosen because they were won by the Conservatives at the 2019 general election but the Liberal Democrats received above 20% of the vote.

YouGov predicts the Conservatives would retain 38 seats, the Liberal Democrats would win 24 and Labour would win two.

Among those forecast to fall is Andrew Jones’ seat, which he won with a majority of 9,675 in 2019, relegating the Liberal Democrats to second.

YouGov predicts the Liberal Democrats would get 43% of the vote in Harrogate and Knaresborough, compared with 39% for the Conservatives and 9% for Labour.

It comes days after Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey pledged to make Harrogate and Knaresborough a target seat during a visit to Harrogate.

The polling says the Conservatives would also lose seats belonging to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab and former leadership contender Jeremy Hunt to the Liberal Democrats.

The company said in a statement:

“Although constituencies would fall to the Liberal Democrats all across the country, including Harrogate and Knaresborough in the north and South Cambridgeshire in the east, perhaps the most striking losses come in the south west, where we estimate that the Conservative vote share is down by over 16 points on 2019.

“Many more Conservative seats are close to being flipped: no fewer than 11 of the 38 predicted holds would be retained by a margin of less than five points. “

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The only Con-Lib Dem battlegrounds region where Labour have increased their vote share on 2019 is in London, where they are up by three points.

In all other regions their vote share in these battleground seats is down – despite Labour’s vote intention being around six to nine points higher than the 32% they managed at the last election.

A plan to tackle the affordable housing crisis in North Yorkshire by doubling the council tax charge on second homes has received a mixed reception.

North Yorkshire County Council has said the proposal to introduce a 100% council tax premium on all second homes in the county from April 2024 will depend on the government passing legislation in the coming months.

The move would double an average band D council tax charge for second home owners to more than £4,100 in some of the most heavily affected areas of the county.

Announcing the proposal, the authority stated it had potential to generate an annual £14m windfall to fund services and affordable housing schemes, funding for which the North Yorkshire Rural Commission identified as a significant challenge. About £1.5m would come from the Harrogate district.

Upper Dales councillor Yvonne Peacock, whose drive to introduce a council tax premium on second homes was rejected by Richmondshire District Council four years ago, said she was “absolutely delighted” by the county council’s proposal.

She said the premium would bring some rarely used second homes on to the market as “people don’t like paying over the odds for anything”, while the funding it would generate would overcome one of the biggest obstacles to building affordable houses.

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About half of the “windfall” would come from properties in Scarborough district, especially along the coast, and a further large proportion from Richmondshire, which the county council has stated would be shared with all precepting authorities, such as police, rather than ploughed directly back into the most affected areas.

A report to a meeting of the council’s executive, which is considering the proposal on Tuesday, warns that numerous concerns have been raised whether the second homes premium might encourage council tax premium avoidance, with owners transferring properties to holiday lets to qualify for discounted business rates.

Devaluing fears

The proposal has been met with open hostility by some who say it has potential to flood the housing market with properties, devaluing homes and undermining the viability of businesses which depend on second home owners.

County council Independent group leader Councillor Stuart Parsons described the move as “one of the stupidest suggestions the Tories have ever come up with”, adding it would cause more damage than good as there would be “so many loopholes people could dodge out of paying the premium as they wish”.

Restricting the premium to second homes rather than holiday lets would simply lead to the creation of “a multitude of small companies”, he added, to which owners would pay a small nominal fee to themselves to stay at their properties.

Cllr Parsons predicted the authority would see a net loss in council tax as a result and that a levy limited to 100 per cent more council tax would be “pass vaguely unnoticed” by many second homeowners.

Other local politicians have claimed some areas of the county are suffering more due to holiday lets than second homes.

Nevertheless, Councillor John Amsden, chairman of planning in Richmondshire district, said while he welcomed action, the proposed premium would be “a non-starter unless you can pin a property’s ownership down”.

He said:

“It is a step in the right direction, but the problem is now local people cannot afford many of the properties due to a rise in demand, particularly in areas with good broadband connections, after the pandemic.

“Why should we have to suffer depopulation, see our infrastructure like schools and roads dwindle and watch hospitality industry struggle to find staff due to people wanting a second home?”

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, is to visit one of the party’s target constituencies — Harrogate and Knaresborough — next week.

Mr Davey will be in Harrogate on Wednesday to meet local members and speak at the Local Government Association conference, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre from June 28-30.

The local party is in buoyant mood following last month’s local election results, which saw it become the largest party on North Yorkshire County Council in the constituency area. However, the Conservatives retained overall control of the council.

Nationally, the Lib Dems overturned a 24,000 Tory majority to win yesterday’s Tiverton and Honiton by-election.

David Goode, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, said:

“He will meet with members and will want to talk about the fantastic Tiverton and Honiton success where we overturned a massive majority.

“It’s also a good opportunity to share our own successes with him and our plans for the general election.”

The Conservative Andrew Jones has been the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010 and has won four elections. He succeeded Liberal Democrat Phil Willis.

In the 2019 general election, Mr Jones won 29,962 votes, beating Lib Dem candidate Judith Rogerson by almost 10,000 votes.

The Lib Dems did gain a 12-point swing on 2017, which largely came at the expense of the Labour Party.

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Mr Goode said the Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate could be announced as soon as next month, with the selection process currently underway.

Last week, former candidate Ms Rogerson ruled herself out for personal reasons.

Mr Goode added:

“There are rumours of a potential autumn election and we want to be ready.

“Andrew Jones is going to be a worried man. It looks like it’s becoming an unrecoverable position for the Conservative government.”