Lib Dems hit back at ‘out of touch’ Andrew Jones

The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative MP Andrew Jones of being “out of touch” after he claimed the local party had “totally gone rogue”.

Mr Jones cited eight examples of alleged “appalling behaviour” after it emerged this week the Lib Dems have been reported to the police for wrongly claiming the Green Party was not contesting next month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP published a letter he has sent to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey urging him to intervene.

Asked to respond to Mr Jones’ letter, a Lib Dem spokesperson said:

“At the next general election people in Harrogate and Knaresborough have a clear choice. They can back an out of touch MP or get real change with the Liberal Democrats.

“Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Conservative MP has supported a government that’s allowed sewage into our rivers and brought our NHS to its knees – many people are now backing Tom Gordon and the Lib Dem team who are fighting for a fair deal for the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

Tom Gordon is the Lib Dems parliamentary candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election.

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Knaresborough’s Marigold Café expansion plans approved

Plans to extend the Marigold Café in Knaresborough have been approved.

The café, situated alongside the River Nidd on Waterside, is one of the most familiar sights in the town. The business also provides rowing boats for hire.

The owners applied to North Yorkshire Council for a single storey extension for toilets.

The council has now approved the planning application, saying it “will enhance the service offered by the existing building to the district’s visitor economy”.

The café consists of two main buildings. The former boat house building provides seats and a single disabled toilet. The kitchen block and servery is located in a separate block.

The extension will create an additional toilet next to the existing disabled toilet.

A design and access statement, submitted in support of the application, said the existing buildings have undergone extensive refurbishment, adding:

“It has a slate tiled pitched roof and vertical timber weather cladding to walls with a waterproof render finish as flood defence at low level.”

Marigold Cafe (left) on Waterside

The “small” extension, the statement added, would “create a much needed additional toilet”.

“It is proposed that the building will have a flat roof to keep its height and impact on the street scene and the residences opposite to a minimum. The impact of the proposal is further mitigated by the existing high hedge which completely conceals the extension from Waterside.

“The walls will be clad in weatherboarding and render to match the existing building.”

The council’s decision notice said the proposed extension “is not considered to be a detrimental impact to the surrounding conservation area, nor to the character of the surrounding landscape”.

It added:

“Yorkshire Garden’s Trust have commented that they would not consider the proposal to harm the setting of the Grade II registered Garden ‘The Long Walk’ and have no objection to the scheme.

“The extension to the café will enhance the service offered by the existing building to the district’s visitor economy.”

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A59 to be closed at Kex Gill until end of June

The A59 between Harrogate and Skipton is expected to be closed at Kex Gill until at least July.

North Yorkshire Council said in a press release this afternoon repair work costing £750,000 will begin on April 15.

Irish construction firm Sisk, which is carrying out the nearby £68.8 million three-mile realignment, has been appointed to undertake the work. Ivor King will carry out specialist steel sheet piling.

Today’s press release said there will be extended hours and night working to allow the road to be reopened before the end of June.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We have reached a point where we can appoint a contractor and decide on the most efficient and cost-effective repair scheme, with preparatory work now underway.

“The repairs will include driving long sheets of steel into the ground to create a structural wall. Once this has been completed, contractors will fill in the excavated area between the steel sheets and the road to provide strength and stability.

“Relocating communications cables and completing drainage and resurfacing works once the area is filled also forms part of the scheme.”

The road, which runs across a rural stretch of the county on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is deemed to be one of the most important strategic routes nationally as it provides a key link running across the country.

The damaged verge

It closed suddenly on February 2 after a crack appeared in the verge.

The council has attributed this to wet weather over the past few months but some residents have claimed it is due to the impact of the realignment on the landscape.

Mr Battersby said:

“There have been more than 10 landslips on the A59 at Kex Gill, between Church Hill and North Moor Road, so the ongoing re-alignment scheme is needed now more than ever.

“Until the road is reopened, we advise road users to follow the signed diversion route. We would again like to thank people for their patience and reiterate that we are doing all we can to complete the repair as quickly and safely as possible.”

Further details of the diversion route are available on the council’s roadworks map here.

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Andrew Jones MP urges Lib Dem leader to intervene against ‘rogue’ local party

Andrew Jones MP has written to Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urging him to take action against local party members.

Mr Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, listed eight examples of what he claimed to be “appalling behaviour” by Lib Dems in his constituency.

The letter comes after Andrew Timothy, the Lib Dem candidate in next month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council, was referred to the police for distributing a leaflet that wrongly stated the Green Party was not standing.

This was one of the eight incidents cited in Mr Jones’ letter. Others include  Mr Jones receiving compensation for false Lib Dem claims in 2013, trolling and racism.

The letter to Mr Davey says:

“I am wondering at what stage you might think it appropriate to intervene following the growing evidence that you have an organisation that has totally gone rogue?

“How many more times must statements given by your parliamentary candidate be shown to be false? Do you expect to be repeating his false claims in the House again?

“How many more standards judgements against your councillors are you willing to face? How many more police investigations do you need before you acknowledge there is a deep-seated cultural problem in the local Liberal Democrats?”

The letter goes on to say Mr Davey has not replied to previous letters raising similar concerns, adding “The Speaker has raised your lack of response with your chief whip twice”.

The Stray Ferret has approached Tom Gordon, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, for a response.

Mr Jones’ letter can be seen in full below or read here.

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Valley Gardens pump track could open next winter

North Yorkshire Council has said it will move forward with proposals to create a pump track for bikes in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.

In an update, the council said the new facility, which would replace the pitch and putt course, could open next winter.

A pump track is a circular loop that consists of slopes and bumps. The tracks have been described as being like a small rollercoaster for riders of bikes such as BMXs.

They are designed to maximise momentum and encourage movement with minimal pedalling.

The council took over the running of the park last year from Harrogate Borough Council and launched a public consultation on the potential move in November.

It previously said the track would be small and much of the pitch and putt course would be returned to grassland.

The council said it had received support from the public during the consultation and will move forward with them later this year.

The track would be accessible all year round, unlike the golf course which closes during wet weather.

It would be free-of-charge and would complement the skate park, which opened in 2011.

It is expected the pump track would cost around £2,000 to install by its in-house parks team.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:

“We carried out a consultation exercise towards the end of last year to ask people for their thoughts on the potential to replace the existing nine-hole pitch and putt golf course in the Valley Gardens with a beginners’ pump track.

“We are grateful for the helpful feedback and the support for the project from the public. The intention is that once the summer season is over, we will be taking the project forward and looking to have it in place over the winter.”

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Council defends car park charges rise

North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les has defended a move to introduce inflation-busting charges at car parks.

Cllr Les said the 20 per cent increase in car parking charges from April 19 was “not just about raising money”, but also about traffic management.

The authority, which has repeatedly introduced the maximum permitted rise in council tax without having to hold a referendum, says the car parking charge rise is needed so it avoids diverting funds away from vital frontline council services.

The council has also stated it is investing in automated payment systems and the installation of electric vehicle chargers. It added more funding is needed to cover the cost of providing parking facilities, including infrastructure, repairs, lighting, and security has risen.

Car parking fees have been frozen in some areas for more than a decade and most car parking charges have remained the same for at least three years.

On that basis, the council says, the increase it is introducing is “broadly aligned with inflation”.

Opposition councillors have claimed the rise will create confusion, particularly in towns where there are different tariffs at council run car parks. In Scarborough, charges at council-run car parks range from free to £2.20 an hour.

Critics have also highlighted the cost of car parking in town centres compared to out of town retail parks, such as the extensive one being developed at Scotch Corner.

Leader of the authority’s Labour group, Cllr Steve Shaw Wright, said while some towns had free publicly owned car parks, people were facing mounting charges from the council to park in neighbouring towns.

He said:

“It’s like a lot of things North Yorkshire Council is trying to harmonise services across the county – there’s a lot more problems than they thought.

“They are milking the easiest target, which is car parking. However, they need to monitor it because in places like Selby there is only a parking warden one day a week, and it’s usually the same day.”

However, Cllr Les said alongside the car parking charges rise, a review of car parking charges across the county was needed.

He said it would be possible to harmonise the principles behind what drivers in North Yorkshire are charged.

Cllr Les said:

“Car parking charging policy remains the prerogative of the council where car parks exist, but the mayor can introduce special measures to waive car parking charges for up to a year, as long as he or she pays for that out of his or her mayoral pot.

“Car parking charges are not just about raising money, they are also about traffic management. If there was free parking in town centres all day people would park up at 8am and the car would be there at 5pm.

“There is a lot of discussion to be had about the merits of car parking charges, the reasons behind it and how the money is spent. We raise the money as a council, but must spend it in certain ways, to do with the traffic management and flows.”

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Boys arrested after bottles thrown on Harrogate’s Parliament Street

Three boys have been arrested after items including fire extinguishers and glass bottles were hurled on to Harrogate’s Parliament Street today.

Police were called to reports of a burglary just before 2am. Parliament Street was closed and fully reopened at about 8am.

A North Yorkshire Police statement this morning said:

“CCTV in the area showed three young people throwing items from the top floor of the property into the street.

“Items included fire extinguishers, poles and boxes, one of which contained an amount of glass bottles, which smashed across the road.

“Specialist officers, including negotiators were called to the property bringing the incident to a safe conclusion around 6.30am.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were also called out and highways workers cleared debris before the road fully reopened at about 8am. Many windows on floors above the businesses on Parliament Street were broken this morning.

Two lanes of Parliament Street reopened until the remainder of the debris was removed.

The statement added:

“Three boys aged, 15, 16 and 17-years-old were arrested a short time later on suspicion of burglary and affray. They remain in police custody while the investigation continues.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said it was alerted at 2.43am.

“A crew from Harrogate responded to reports of a large number of youths inside an unsafe derelict building, throwing items from the roof.

“Fire crew stood by awaiting instruction form the police. Eventually incident was dealt with without fire service intervention.”

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Harrogate Greens report Lib Dems to police for by-election leaflet

The Green Party candidate in the forthcoming Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election in Harrogate has reported the Liberal Democrats to the police.

The by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council will take place on April 11 following the resignation of former Lib Dem councillor Pat Marsh, who posted anti-semitic comments on social media.

The cost of the by-election is expected to be £15,000.

Andrew Timothy, the Lib Dem candidate, sent out a leaflet saying ‘the Green’s (sic) have stood down this election’.

But the Harrogate and District Green Party has chosen Gilly Charters to contest the division, as reported by the Stray Ferret on March 11.

Ms Charters said her husband and political agent, Ian, had contacted North Yorkshire Police and he was due to be interviewed about the matter on April 1.

She said voters were confused by the leaflet and the by-election might even have to be re-run “if the police find electoral malfeasance”.

The leaflet urges postal voters to ‘return your postal vote in the next few days’.

Ms Charters said:

“I want the Lib Dems to write to their postal voters with first class stamps and very clearly say ‘we are terribly sorry, Gilly Charters is standing for the Green Party’. It would retract what has gone out.”

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said:

“A small number of leaflets were printed in error. We stopped delivering them when we realised our mistake.

“Our future campaign materials will make clear this election is a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, and that Labour and Green candidates cannot win.”

Mr Charters described that as “nonsense”, adding:

“A lot has changed since the last election here in 2022. Polling for the Conservatives has gone down and down and down. It’s not straightforward.”

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School holiday frustration as Knaresborough play area remains closed

A family has voiced frustration about the ongoing closure of the new council-owned play area next to Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.

Fysche Hall Field Play Area opened briefly in February only to close a few days later due to wet weather. It has not reopened since and is now not expected to do so until May.

This is disappointing news for Knaresborough families whose young children would like to use the facilities, which include swings, a climbing frame and a slide, during the Easter holidays.

Hayley Lister, whose step-grandson is nearly two, said it was frustrating not to be able to use council facilities when council tax was rising.

She added:

“I understand we have had a lot of rain but surely if they are building a brand new park they would have a good drainage system in place for the water to run away.

“It’s the Easter holidays now and I just hope this will be open as there will be a lot disappointed children if it stays shut.”

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council for an update.

Karl Battersby, the council ’s corporate director of environment, said:

“The play area was installed as part of the new swimming pool complex in Knaresborough and was handed over to our parks team to manage once building work on the development was completed.

“The play area opened in time for the February half–term holiday, but the site became very muddy due to extremely wet weather over the last few months and was closed as the newly-laid turf needed to dry out.

“As the weather has not improved and heavy rain is still forecast, the current plan is to reopen the site at the beginning of May.”

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Boys arrested after bottles thrown on Harrogate’s Parliament Street

Three boys have been arrested after items including fire extinguishers and glass bottles were hurled on to Harrogate’s Parliament Street today.

Police were called to reports of a burglary just before 2am. Parliament Street was closed and fully reopened at about 8am.

A North Yorkshire Police statement this morning said:

“CCTV in the area showed three young people throwing items from the top floor of the property into the street.

“Items included fire extinguishers, poles and boxes, one of which contained an amount of glass bottles, which smashed across the road.

“Specialist officers, including negotiators were called to the property bringing the incident to a safe conclusion around 6.30am.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were also called out and highways workers cleared debris before the road fully reopened at about 8am. Many windows on floors above the businesses on Parliament Street were broken this morning.

Two lanes of Parliament Street reopened until the remainder of the debris was removed.

The statement added:

“Three boys aged, 15, 16 and 17-years-old were arrested a short time later on suspicion of burglary and affray. They remain in police custody while the investigation continues.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said it was alerted at 2.43am.

“A crew from Harrogate responded to reports of a large number of youths inside an unsafe derelict building, throwing items from the roof.

“Fire crew stood by awaiting instruction form the police. Eventually incident was dealt with without fire service intervention.”

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