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May 2021

Politics

Tories and Lib Dems in leaflet row as Bilton by-election hots up

Published: 5 May 2021, 17:24 BST

Updated: 5 May 2021, 17:55 BST

by Thomas Barrett

Leaflets by the Liberal Democrat candidate accuse the Tories of 'hypocrisy' and 'tricking' voters about the Knox Lane housing development. Andrew Jones MP hit back by saying the claims were 'grossly misleading' and he disapproved of 'US-style attack-ad politics'.

A political row has broken out after a Liberal Democrat campaign leaflet accused the Conservatives of "hypocrisy" and "tricking" voters ahead of the Bilton by-election.

Voters will go the polls tomorrow to elect a new county councillor in the marginal Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, the Liberal Democrat candidate, has distributed two leaflets to residents that make several claims about the proposed Knox Lane housing development.

Housing developer Jomast is behind the proposals, which would see 73 homes built on a green field in Bilton.

The development is still to go before Harrogate Borough Council's planning committee, when 12 councillors will vote on the plans.

However, the site is allocated for 52 potential homes in Harrogate district Local Plan, which sets out where development will occur in the district until 2035.

Cllr Matt Scott, who is standing for the Conservatives in Bilton and is a current HBC councillor, voted for the Local Plan before it was adopted in March 2020.

In the leaflet, Mr Kempston-Parkes claims the "Conservatives pretend to oppose the Knox Lane development while secretly voting for it".

In another leaflet, he alleges the Conservative-run council proposed the development.

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In response, Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones MP intervened with a leaflet of his own.

It called the Liberal Democrat literature "grossly misleading" and said he was "disturbed" by some of the claims made.

He said:

"I like to see positive and constructive campaigns based on a record of local action. I don't approve of US-style attack-ad politics."

Cllr Matt Scott told the Stray Ferret he was a long-term critic of the Knox Lane development.

He said:

"To imply that I support the planning application for this site is wrong. My objection is on Harrogate council’s website. I am the only candidate in this election to have submitted an objection.

"I work with Cllr Paul Haslam who, as the borough councillor for Old Bilton, has with residents raised over £3,000 to commission reports opposing this application as well as submitting his own 10,000 word objection which I support. This has been our long-term position. The application has not come to committee yet so it is incorrect to claim that anyone has voted for or against it".

In response, Andrew Kempston-Parkes said: "We stand by the leaflet".

He added:

"Matt Scott had the opportunity to vote against the Local Plan but decided to vote for it anyway."

The Bilton and Nidd Gorge election follows the death of Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber.

It is the only local council election taking place in the Harrogate district tomorrow.

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Tories and Lib Dems in leaflet row as Bilton by-election hots up

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