WATCH Ripon residents give their views on MP Julian Smith’s £144,000 consultancy work
We went out on the streets of Ripon today to ask people about the controversy surrounding their MP Julian Smith’s paid consultancy work.
Mr Smith, who has represented Skipton and Ripon since 2010, could lose £144,000 under proposals put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Mr Johnson wrote to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle yesterday proposing MPs are banned from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists in order to maintain public confidence in Parliament.
Mr Smith, who earns £144,000 from three part-time consultancy roles, all of which were approved by the Advisory Committee of Business Appointments, would be one of the worst affected MPs if the new proposals come into force.
Mr Smith’s constituents in Ripon today expressed mixed views. Some said it was acceptable because the earnings had to be declared and it was healthy for MPs to have a wide range of skills. Others disagreed and questioned whether his consultancy commitments meant less time working for his constituents.
Ripon alleys rejuvenated with overnight deep clean
Four of Ripon’s busiest alleys have been given a deep clean.
The overnight operation on Monday, was organised by Ripon Business Improvement District in one of its first initiatives to attract more visitors to the city and help businesses to benefit from increased footfall.
The clean-up focused on the thoroughfares between Oliver’s Pantry and Halls department store, M&Co and Costa Coffee, Boots and Specsavers and also Lavender Alley.
Last week, the BID’s interim manager Elizabeth Faulkner said:
“We know these alleyways are key to the way visitors and residents use the city so we want to make them as attractive as possible.”
The deep clean was carried out overnight.
“There has been lots of talk about what they could be used for, but first we will clean them up and then look at lighting.
“These are of course just a small part of Ripon and we have got a big destination to make an impact on so we will then start to move around the city for more deep cleaning.”
The alley between Oliver’s Pantry and Halls department store links the Marshall Way retail park and car park with North Street.
The BID, which levies businesses to fund city centre improvements, came into being after 70 of the 87 who voted this summer, supported setting up the body.
Following the vote, more than 280 firms within the Ripon BID area are now contributing to an annual budget of £160,000 for projects to create a safer, cleaner and better promoted city centre.
The first networking events for businesses will be held on January 17 and 24.
A Harrogate BID was created in 2019 but plans for a BID in Knaresborough were rejected in October.
Ripon MP Julian Smith could lose £144,000 under PM’s plan to end consultancy work
Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith could lose £144,000 of consultancy earnings under proposals put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Mr Johnson wrote to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle yesterday proposing MPs are banned from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists. He said it would help maintain public confidence in Parliament.
Former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mr Smith, a Conservative who has represented Skipton and Ripon since 2010, would be one of the most severely affected MPs.
According to the BBC, more than 200 MPs received earnings in the last year on top of their £81,932 salary.
Mr Smith, who also owns three London properties, is listed as the second highest earner of consultancy fees behind Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, who is paid more than £180,000 for six consultancy roles that take up 34.5 days of work.
The Stray Ferret has contacted Mr Smith but he had not replied by the time of publication.
Ryse Hydrogen: £60,000 for 12 months. He is expected to work 20 hours.
In August 2020, Mr Smith took an advisory role with Ryse Hydrogen. Its chief executive Jo Bamford also owns Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland bus production company that has a relationship with the Northern Ireland Office in government.
In January, Mr Smith began advising Cork-based firm Simply Blue Management. Its website describes itself as ‘the leading early stage developer of sustainable and transformative marine projects’.
MJM Marine: £60,000 for 12 months. He is expected to work 30 to 40 hours.
In March, Mr Smith began advising MJM Marine on ‘business development’. The company calls itself a ‘leading international specialist in cruise ship refurbishment’. It’s based in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Harrogate district taxi driver shortage revealed due to covid
There has been a drop in the number of taxis on the Harrogate district’s roads in what drivers have blamed on the pandemic forcing them to abandon the trade.
Several cabbies quit during the lockdowns and many have now found new jobs with little desire to return as figures suggest around 60 fewer drivers are operating in the district.
Richard Fieldman, who runs A1 Cars Ripon, said his business only survived the pandemic by the “skin of its teeth” and that it has now continued to struggle.
He said:
“Times are still difficult for the trade.
“We are not back where we were before covid by any stretch of the imagination and we are not going to get there any time soon.
“As a driver for 29 years, I thought about packing it in myself during the lockdowns as this period highlighted to me how vulnerable we are.
“I personally managed to ride through this period, although I did end up in debt because of it.
“A lot of drivers have now realised there is very little reward in this trade.”
With fewer drivers on the roads, it has also had an impact on customers who could be left waiting on taxi ranks or unable to book journeys during busy periods.
Kevin O’Boyle, owner of Central Taxis and the longest holder of a taxi licence in the district, said he believes the lengthy process that it takes to become a driver could be a reason why he is now finding it “impossible” to recruit them.
He said:
“I’m offering £600 for five shifts with tips and I don’t even get people coming through the door.
“Trade is still slow and the only reason people are making a living now is because the number of taxis on the roads have been diluted.
“We are involved with services for the NHS and if it had not been for these contracts we would have gone under during the pandemic, I have no doubt about that.”
Taxi licence fees frozen
The figures that around 60 fewer taxis are on the roads was revealed in a Harrogate Borough Council report, which has proposed no increase for taxi licence fees for the second year running.
Prior to this period, the council increased fees by 10% during 2020/21.
Mr O’Boyle said the proposed freeze for the next financial year would be “greatly appreciated” if approved by the council’s licensing committee on Wednesday, but added it only went so far to support the trade.
The report to the committee said:
“Every year the licensing committee reviews the fees and charges for these licences. However, as a consequence of the impact of covid in 2020 there are now 60 fewer private hire vehicles.
“The proposed fees are set on a cost recovery basis and are not at a level that would discourage the trade investing in quality standard and accessible vehicles.”
Ripon Grammar BMX rider earns place in world championships
A Ripon Grammar School student has been selected to compete in next year’s BMX cycling world championships.
Elite Cruiser rider Jodie Musgrove, ranked number four in the UK, is now preparing to represent Team GB in Nantes, France.
The 16-year-old, who plans to study veterinary medicine at university, has been riding since she was 11 years old, having taken up the sport after watching her first race with her father James, a former BMX rider.
For the past five years, she has been competing at the highest level, travelling all over the UK to race:
She said:
“Getting into the world championships is a dream I have had since I started, and it’s fantastic to see all my hard work and training at last paying off.”
Jodie in action
Jodie now hopes she can make an impact at the 2022 contest, where the world’s top riders will be coming together to compete between July 26 and 31.
Her inspiration is gold medallist Beth Shriever, who became Britain’s first BMX racing Olympic champion in Tokyo this summer.
It was the adrenaline rush of off-road dirt racing which first got Jodie hooked on the sport:
She pointed out:
“Most sprint races last no longer than a minute, on purpose-built off-road, single-lap racetracks, made up of various jumps and rollers. So, it’s a very fast-paced, high-intensity sport.”
It can also be dangerous, with one crash in Manchester in 2018 resulting in Jodie needing stitches for a gash in her arm, knocking her out of racing for six weeks.
Jodie took on top competitors all over the UK in a challenging series of races throughout the year to qualify for the world championships on her 24-inch wheel, large-framed cruiser bike, taking the final Team GB spot in the 17 to 29-year-old female category.
Studying for A-levels in maths, chemistry, biology and psychology, she says she enjoys being a part of the BMX community, training with the North-East BMX Club in Hartlepool and travelling to Manchester’s indoor racing track at weekends in winter.
In addition to bringing back medals from Nantes, her ambition is to qualify for the World Championships again in 2023 in Glasgow and hopes she might get the chance to compete at the Olympics one day.
Christmas Gift and Food Fair returns to Ripon Cathedral
The popular event is usually staged annually but could covid restrictions meant it did not happen in 2020.
This year it will take place for the first time over two days, on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 November from 9.30am to 4.30pm on both days.
There will be 95 stalls offering a wide selection of unusual gifts, crafts and local food.
A pop-up café will serve hot turkey sandwiches, mulled wine, hot drinks and homemade cakes.
Ripon Cathedral
Live Christmas music will be provided by local choirs over lunchtime on both days in the ornate setting of the cathedral’s quire.
The fair is popular with families and although Santa will not be attending this year, there will be craft activities for children, who will be able to decorate a Christmas bauble to take home and hang on their tree.
Harrogate solicitors Raworths and Leeds wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin are supporting the event as part of their business partnership with the cathedral.
Zoe Robinson, managing partner at Raworths said:
“As a business partner, Raworths is delighted to play a part in the preservation and development of the Cathedral and to support local community-based events organised by Ripon Cathedral’s team, such as the wonderful annual Christmas Fair.”
Entry is £5 payable on the door by card or cash or online. Entry for accompanied children is free.
“It’s so important to create a safe and caring environment for children so that they are able to talk about their feelings, especially during such uncertain times.
“A shy or anxious child may struggle to ask someone else for support, which is why the buddy bench is such a vital tool in teaching the children what to do when they feel lonely.
“We are very grateful to Annington for donating the bench to us.”
Annington is one of the largest private owners of residential property in the UK, with over 40,000 homes across England and Wales.
Louise Saunders, sales and marketing manager at Annington, said the company strived to support local communities, adding:
“We are proud to gift the buddy bench to Moorside Primary School, and we hope that the children will be able to use it to create new friendships and feel more confident for many years to come.”
Anti-Bullying Week is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and takes place from November 15 to 19. This year’s theme is “one kind word.”
Story of the lone Japanese First World War soldier buried in Ripon
A lone Japanese soldier is buried among the war dead at Ripon Cemetery.
Private Sannosuke Nishimura’s story reveals attitudes towards immigrants at the time, and how a pandemic cruelly cut short the lives of men who were returning from First World War battlefields.
Ripon resident and military historian Colin Oxley was in the cemetery and found a headstone of a soldier that bore the same surname as his unrelated wife Kazumi, who is from Japan, a country that had very little involvement in the war despite being an ally.
“I was a bit shocked to see the man had same surname as Kazumi.”
The couple used the internet to research how he came to be there and have shared what they discovered with the Stray Ferret.
Emigrated to Canada
Sannosuke was born in Fukushima, Japan, which at the time was a poor part of the country.
His family, who most likely would have been farmers, emigrated to Canada in the late 1890s in search of a better life.
In their new home of Antelope, Saskatchewan, they were probably not welcomed with open arms as Japanese migrants regularly faced discrimination and racism.
Despite this, around 200 Japanese men volunteered to fight for Canada during the war.
Ripon residents Kazumi Nishimura and Colin Oxley
Ms Nishimura said:
“Discrimination against Japanese migrants was common. They were disallowed the vote and benefits of civil society”.
Sannosuke enlisted towards the end of the war in June 1918 and made the long sea journey to Europe.
There isn’t information on where his battalion was deployed during the war, but he made it out alive.
Following the end of the conflict, he travelled from France to the massive Ripon demobilisation camp for returning troops awaiting their passage back to Canada.
But in a cruel twist of fate, the troops brought to Ripon with them the deadly Spanish Flu, which ripped through the camp killing Sannosuke and six others. He was 24 years old.
Mr Oxley said.
“It was a disaster. They all came from France and were then shipped out across the Commonwealth spreading the flu. If it wasn’t for the war, it probably wouldn’t have spread like it did. They didn’t have air travel like with covid today.”
Sannusuke’s parents suffered greatly in the years after the war.
After Sannosuke’s mum died in the 1930s, the Canadian government took the Nishimura’s family home off them and sent his father to an internment camp in British Columbia where he died.
Japan was no longer an ally and 22,000 Japanese Canadians were locked up during World War Two in the name of national security.
Mr Oxley said:
“It was a terrible thing that happened, after their son fought in World War One.”
‘I hope he’s not forgotten’
Ms Nishimura said in Japan the war dead are not remembered like they are in the UK.
“They don’t really want to talk about it. War is a disaster history, it’s not celebrated like here.
“Remembrance Day here is fascinating.”
Mr Oxley and Ms Nishimura could not find any living relatives. His younger brother Frank died in 2000 at the respectable age of 94.
Ms Nishimura added:
“I hope his story won’t be forgotten.”
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Ripon therapist’s tips on how to survive the dark months
I have yet to meet anyone who is a massive fan of the long nights and short days that we are forced to endure at this time of year.
Actually I tell a lie, a weightlifting coach told me the other day he loved it. He said when it got dark early, it meant he could train and work late without getting FOMO (fear of missing out). Which I suppose makes sense.
And I suppose for some, winter signals a joyous festive season and countless cosy nights in.
I am certainly not in that camp, as I always seem to feel more tired and lethargic at this time of year, and definitely less motivated. And this does increasingly seem to be the case for more and more of us.
And last year’s winter lockdown certainly didn’t help matters – even though many of us actually managed to get outside more.
More serious
While it’s normal to feel a bit sleepy and unimpressed by the gloomy weather, there’s a point where our reaction to the changing seasons can be a sign of something more serious.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, often shortened to SAD, affects around one in 15 people in the UK.
According to the NHS, November marks the beginning of SAD, which can see people suffer from a persistent low mood, linked to a reduced exposure to sunlight.
And as many of us prepare to tackle the dark, winter months, I spoke to Lulu Ferrand, a Craniosacral Therapist (CST), based in West Tanfield, near Ripon, who is part of the Lisa Duffield Centre team, and asked her for her tips on how to tackle SAD.
Lulu Ferrand, a Craniosacral Therapy (CST) practitioner.
Do you have a lot of clients who suffer with SAD?
“I have some clients who come with SAD, but it is rarely the primary reason for their visit. It is usually part of the reason why they need help.
“I have a lot of clients who suffer with depression and when asked if they feel worse in the winter, most of the time they answer yes.”
When do you start to notice it becoming an issue?
“Definitely when the clocks go back.”
How much of an issue is it in terms of how it affects people’s mental health?
“It goes undetected to begin with. Sometimes people feel lacking in motivation, a bit flat, no ‘get up and go’. This then manifests as a hopelessness and helplessness, then a lack of self-worth, they can feel shameful of their laziness.
“They become disappointed with themselves, which worsens the condition. They then begin to notice that their feeling of being a bit flat is actually not ‘just a bit’, but they would describe it as ‘feeling flat’. This then becomes ‘feeling down’ and later ‘feeling depressed’. This can develop over weeks or as quick as a day.
“Often clients cannot remember when it all began. By the time they come to me, it is the depressed stage.
“I do wonder if someof the depression diagnoses started with SAD and then spiralled downwards.
“I know that the way we speak and think is an energy in itself. It will affect the way our bodies function. The more we talk in a negative way of how bad we are feeling, the worse we feel. And we can pick it up from what we are exposed to – like other people.
“I am not saying that this can help everyone, or that everyone can actually do this. But we can do a lot to help ourselves.
“Notice how you are feeling without becoming neurotic about it. Get to know yourself, what makes you feel better.
“It may be exercise, yoga, meditation, being in nature, eating certain foods.
“Notice what is not benefiting you and eliminate or reduce them from your life – like certain people, particular TV programs, social media.”
“We have mostly suffered with lack of contact due to lockdown. The fearful news reporting has also played a large part.
“Anxiety and depression is palpable in the world around us. This is what we are fighting currently. And yes, increased a lot recently.”
How do you help people with SAD in terms of treatment?
“Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is about rebalancing the body and mind as a whole.
“It can clear out and rebalance the nervous system. It is a hands-on gentle treatment and when the client feels safe and ‘held’ the body will let go of whatever is holding it back.
“Sometimes it is recent issues or traumas; sometimes we go right back to birth. Sometimes it releases as an emotion, a shimmer, a tingle or even a shake.
“Often clients with SAD or depression will say that they feel a blackness, a sort of shadow in their heads and during the session they feel the blackness turning to grey and then into white light. This has happened during sessions, many, many times.
“This does not mean that everyone with depression can be helped this way. Other times the client may improve to a certain level and then may need psychotherapy or hypnotherapy to deal with a deeply-held belief.
“Each client is treated as an individual. Generally they require around six sessions to really get to the bottom of whatever it is that is preventing them from being in optimum health, sometimes quicker, sometimes longer.
“The sessions and the releasing afterwards can go on for several days and be very profound.
“Everyone is different and will respond and release in an individual way. We work together to discover what suits best – a bespoke package. A journey of discovery.”
What are your top tips to help people to cope with SAD?
Take charge of your own health. Ask yourself what is it that my mind and body needs? Notice it early on.
Vitamin D supplements or increase foods like eggs, cheese and oily fish, which contain Vitamin D.
Change the way you speak, so that your language is positive and kind, particularly to yourself. (This takes a lot of practice.)
Get out in nature, even if it is raining. Find three things in nature that you think are beautiful and really appreciate the beauty.
Use self-help videos, which are available on Tanfield Wellness website, on breathing, grounding and guided meditations on clearing the energy in your body. Again work out which ones suit you and make a note of them. Keep practising them, daily if you can. There are also self-help videos on the Lisa Duffield Centre YouTube channel.
Be kind to someone else.
Give someone a hug.
Take time to do things for yourself. So often we rush about doing things for others to the detriment of our own well-being. Maybe start a new hobby, like join a choir.
Search for a CST practitioner local to you.
What methods do you use to help tackle SAD? I would love to hear about them. Email me at nina@thestrayferret.co.uk
Ripon hosts first farming memorial service
Ripon Cathedral has hosted the first national memorial service for people in rural communities who have lost their lives in farming accidents or to suicide or other causes during the pandemic.
The ecumenical service led by the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt. Revd. Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, was organised by the Farming Community Network, a charity that supports farmers.
“We give thanks for those whose work it is to bring comfort and light, for charities like FCN and its volunteers, for the skilled work of medical staff and our emergency services, for the NFU, and for those who work tirelessly to fundraise and provide vision and leadership to charities and organisations who assist in the farming sector.”
Ripon Cathedral, which hosted a national memorial and thanksgiving service for the farming community.
Hope, unity and the need for people across agriculture to come together in support of one another, as part of a community, were highlighted during the service, which recognised the experience of loss felt by all those who have been bereaved.
More than 100 attended last Sunday, either in person or thorough live-streaming, to join in hymns and hear readings and personal accounts of those being remembered.
Following the service, NFU deputy president, Stuart Roberts, said:
“The farming community will always be there to support one another. People are at the heart of farming. FCN and other charities are the people who support people – and that’s why they’re so important.”
Mark Suthern, chair of FCN’s board of trustees, also spoke of the need for the community to support one another through the changes ahead for British agriculture.
Farm tragedies
The FCN helps about 6,000 farmers and farming families each year with a wide range of issues, including mental health, family disputes, animal disease and financial concerns.
The network’s chief executive, Jude McCann, said:
“The farming community knows all too well the pain that comes following a death due to a farm accident or other tragic circumstance.
“Many of us will know someone personally who has been affected by a farm accident, a death by suicide, cancer, or other tragedies that leave lasting impacts on farming families across the UK.
“We would like to thank everyone who attended, took part and helped to organise our Remembrance Service. We hope it provided an opportunity to recognise those who have died as well as provided support and comfort to those who have been bereaved.”
Anybody who is struggling, or knows somebody who is and would like to speak with someone who understands the pressures of farming life, can contact the FCN on 03000 111 999 (7am-11pm every day of the year) or at help@fcn.org.uk.
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