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05
May 2021
Bilton by-election: Candidates profiled ahead of polling day
Voters will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new councillor in the Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election. With just hours to go, we profile each candidate standing for the seat.
Voters will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new county councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge.
A new councillor will be elected to North Yorkshire County Council following the death of Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber.
It is the only local council election taking place in the Harrogate district.
Ahead of polling day, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has interviewed and profiled each candidate.
Andrew Kempston-Parkes, Liberal Democrat
The Liberal Democrat candidate standing in tomorrow’s Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election says a vote for Labour or the Green Party “will just let the Conservatives win”.
Andrew Kempston-Parkes, who has previously represented the Bilton area on Harrogate Borough Council, said in a message to Labour and Green voters: “your vote is safe with me”.
He is one of six candidates competing to take the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat.
Mr Kempston-Parkes said he has “big shoes to fill” but hoped to continue the “great work that Geoff did” if elected.
He said:
“I would be honoured if the people of Bilton and Nidd Gorge would trust me to be their county councillor – they have my word that I will work tirelessly for them.
“I want to continue the great work that Geoff did in being a voice for local people, the homeless and those seeking affordable houses. I also want to support our great educational establishments, protect our green spaces and stop overdevelopment.
“Another big thing I would push for is a park and ride similar to the one in York which has been a great success.
“Harrogate could benefit hugely by taking more traffic out of the town and bringing more people in. Sadly there has been lots of talk but no action on this in the past.”
Mr Kempston-Parkes is a local businessman who runs a chartered surveyors firm in Harrogate. He previously served as a borough councillor for four years but lost his seat in the 2011 elections.
He said there is a “real need for change” in local politics which has “Conservatives at every level”.
Mr Kempston-Parkes said:
“I feel there is incompetence and arrogance, and the Conservatives are not helping our town.
“It’s only through hearing opposing views and listening to arguments that we can find the best way forward.
“I would ask anyone who sees themselves as centre or left-centre on the political spectrum to vote for me. A vote for Labour or the Green Party will just let the Conservatives win.”
Matt Scott, Conservative
Conservative candidate Matt Scott has told voters to “judge my record on its own merits” ahead of polling day for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election.
Cllr Scott has represented the Bilton area on Harrogate Borough Council since 2018 and is one of six candidates competing to take the vacant seat on North Yorkshire County Council.
He said:
“I have lived in Bilton my entire life which means I use the same roads, shops and all the same council services as local residents – and I’m immensely proud to already represent the community I have grown up in.
“As a Harrogate borough councillor since 2018, I have been handing out newsletters into the Bilton division which set out our record of action locally.
“In addition to the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat, there is the current Conservative county councillor Paul Haslam who is a sort of next door neighbour to me. We have a great working relationship and I would want that to continue if I was elected.”
Cllr Scott, who is employed as a case worker by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, added:
“I will still be serving as a Harrogate borough councillor if I’m elected and will continue my current top priority of tackling litter. I’m hoping as restrictions ease further, I can organise more outdoor gatherings for litter picking and street cleansing.
“I also know anti-social behaviour has been an issue of late and in my capacity as borough councillor I have worked with safer communities teams on this.
“I’m putting a positive message out there that I will allow residents in my division and the wider Bilton and Nidd Gorge area to judge my record on its own merits.”
Tyler Reeton, Labour
A teenager who will become North Yorkshire County Council’s youngest member if elected this week has pledged to bring a “fresh face” and “real change” to local politics.
Tyler Reeton, 19, is standing in his first election for the Labour Party and is one of six candidates competing to fill the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat left vacant following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber.
Voting will take place on Thursday and Mr Reeton said tackling anti-social behaviour is his top priority as he also promised to launch a new annual event to “bring the community back together”.
He said:
"While I’m young at 19-years-old, that doesn’t make me any less passionate than the ordinary person – I will be a fresh face and the only candidate who will be truly accountable to residents.
“Anti-social behaviour is a problem which is spiralling out of control because not enough has been done. It’s a difficult situation to tackle but I believe in the message that if we all work together, we can get the job done.
“I would organise surgeries so residents can speak directly with police to crackdown on the problem before it gets to this point again.
“My local recovery plan will focus on rebuilding the community after Covid and using my county councillor grants, I will bring back a yearly community event like the Bilton Gala which has been fundamental for so many years.”
The Labour candidate is a former Harrogate Grammar School student and aspiring solicitor who says his sole aim in life is to help others.
Read more:
Bilton by-election: every candidate announced
Local elections 2021: Everything you need to know in Harrogate district
- What the Bilton by-election candidates say on the big issues
He believes “years of party politics” have damaged relationships in Bilton but vowed to start a “rebuilding process” if he is elected.
He said:
“I am not in this for myself, my aim is to help others and make Bilton a better place to live. I feel party politics has damaged reputations between councillors and residents and I now want to start on that rebuilding process.
“With the effort I am putting in and the fact I will be accountable to residents, I believe I have a great chance of winning this election.
“We need a councillor who is accountable and can crack on with the job. If you pledge a vote for me, you will be voting for real change.”
Harvey Alexander, Independent
An independent candidate has vowed to do everything he can to bring more speed camera warning signs to North Yorkshire if he is elected as the new Bilton and Nidd Gorge county councillor.
Harvey Alexander said he is standing in Thursday’s by-election because he has become “incensed” with the “lack of” warning signs in the county as he also pledged to push for the creation of more high-tech jobs in Harrogate to support the economic recovery from covid.
He said:
“Every other local authority in the Yorkshire area puts up speed camera signs but in North Yorkshire there are none.
“The point of these signs is to slow traffic, not catch people speeding. Some areas have signs up 24/7 even when there are no cameras there and they do their job to make the roads safer.
“If you vote for me I will do everything I can to bring more speed camera signs to the area and also address concerns about unemployment.”
Mr Alexander is a former UKIP member and retired electronics engineer who first became involved in politics when he stood for Leeds City Council at 21-years-old.
He most recently represented UKIP at a Leeds election in 2016 and is one of six candidates competing to take the Bilton and Nidd Gorge seat.
He said:
“There is an awful lot of housebuilding going on but there is no industry being brought in to give jobs to local people.
“There is also a hell of a lot of commuters who travel outside Harrogate and this is a problem which is only going to get worse.
“What I find so annoying is all these big companies taking their business down south. We need to be doing a lot more to encourage big businesses to come here in Harrogate, especially these companies in high-tech industries.”
Mr Alexander, who also served as a parish councillor in North Rigton and Pannal, said he could not support any of the options on the table for local government reorganisation in North Yorkshire and instead believes Harrogate should reclaim its historic links with the west of the county.
He said:
“I do feel Harrogate should go back to its connections with West Yorkshire. A huge number of people have links with Bradford and Leeds – that’s where people work and travel to the most.”
Arnold Warneken, Green Party
The Green Party candidate contesting in this week’s Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election has claimed the community is at risk of being “dismantled” by current councillors.
Arnold Warneken is one of six candidates competing to become the division’s new county councillor with voters set to go to the polls on Thursday.
He has put anti-social behaviour, littering, traffic pollution and loss of green space as his top priorities and has promised to “retain the uniqueness of the Bilton community” if elected.
Mr Warneken said:
“With the backing of the Green Party, I would work to solve these issues, push to retain the uniqueness of the Bilton community, and build on the fantastic resources they already have here, which are under-rated, under-stated and under-funded.
“Local councils must have our climate in mind as we build the economy back after covid.
“More Green councillors mean a substantial commitment to the climate action we all know is urgently needed in all our council chambers. Future generations depend on the steps we take now, protecting green spaces, reducing CO2 pollution from cars, making our roads safer and providing resources for them.”
Mr Warneken became the first ever Green councillor in the north of England when he was elected to Harrogate Borough Council in 1991.
He has lived in the district for 65 years working as a farmer and currently sits on a number of committees and environmental groups including Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.
Mr Warneken added:
“As chair of the area planning, town twinning and environmental health committees, my experience will be invaluable moving forward as the region changes under the re-organisation of the authority in the coming years.
“I will use my experience working with and for the community, if I’m elected; I’ve been the district council representative on the Selby Police Liaison committee and a director of Harrogate Theatre and established and chaired Harrogate Environmental Forum.
“Now is the time to help local people have a say in local matters they deserve. I want to amplify their voices for the good of the community, to ensure that services they rely on and the future of the community is not at risk.”
John Hall, Yorkshire Party
The Yorkshire Party candidate competing in this week’s Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election says it’s time the county got a fairer share of government funding.
John Hall is standing in his third election for the party which launched six years ago with the aim of devolving spending and decision-making powers from Whitehall to Yorkshire.
And while the government rejected its ‘One Yorkshire’ devolution bid in 2019, Mr Hall said the party’s priorities remained clearer than ever.
Mr Hall said:
“Fairer funding for Yorkshire is our main message..
“School pupils who live in the London borough of Tower Hamlet receive around £6,965 of government funding per head, while those in Yorkshire get £4,613. This is not fair and something I want to tackle.
“We want a proper Yorkshire devolution package to keep as much localism as possible.
“And where Yorkshire Party candidates have been elected in the past, they have always been a success. We are pushing a new message but we know we can make a difference.”
Mr Hall previously stood to be MP for Thirsk and Malton and also for the Starbeck seat on Harrogate Borough Council.
His party have previously won seats on three councils in Yorkshire including North Yorkshire County Council, East Riding Council and Selby District Council.
Speaking about the issues he hopes to tackle as the new county councillor for the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, he said:
“I do know anti-social behaviour is becoming an issue so I would hope to get a good working relationship with police right from the word go.
“Affordable housing is another issue I want to get involved in and I would insist that any new homes to be built must fit almost seamlessly into the area.
“It’s going to take time for me to truly understand all of the issues and concerns in Bilton but I would be a new broom who could start afresh and not be tied to any existing problems or difficult relationships, as I know there is some hostility currently.”
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