Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In January the third national lockdown has dominated life in the district, with non-essential retail and hospitality closing and the majority of school children now being taught from home.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

• On January 13, Mr Jones revealed on his website that he had visited the Great Yorkshire Showground to check on progress with the vaccination programme. At that point, he said the site had vaccinated over 3,000 people at a rate between 125 and 135 people per hour.
• Writing on his website later in January, he called the latest lockdown the one “nobody wanted”. However, he said the vaccines now provide “light at the end of the tunnel”.
• Mr Jones was contacted by a constituent in Knaresborough who told him that she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days. ‘This simply isn’t good enough,’ the MP wrote on his website.
• At a Commons debate on the Financial Services Bill on January 13, Mr Jones spoke about the cycle of debt that some constituents become trapped in. He said debt is “sometimes very easy to get into and very hard to break out of.”
• He voted in favour of the ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill that gives protection to police or MI5 agents working undercover to commit criminal acts “where it is necessary and appropriate”.
• On January 26, Mr Jones voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill to enshrine air pollution limits in law.
• Mr Jones met virtually with fellow MPs and figures from the rail industry as part of his role as co-chair of the Transport Across the North APPG.
• The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority published its latest annual report of MPs expenses which revealed that in 2019/20, Mr Jones spent £174,597.97 on accommodation, office, staffing, staff absence, travel and other costs.

Read more:

• Harrogate district MPs claim £536,000 in expenses last year
• MPs watch 2020: the year of coronavirus, Brexit and free school meals

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

• The Ripon MP was appointed an external advisor to a green energy company at a rate of between £1,000 and £2,000 per hour. It’s the second lucrative advisory position he has taken in a year. Both companies have ties to Ireland, where Mr Smith spent time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2019/20.
• Mr Smith tweeted 13 times in January, including a tweet that marked a year since he helped to broker a historic power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.
• He retweeted celebrity PE teacher Joe Wicks announcing his return to YouTube.
• He also voted in line with the government on its controversial ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill.
• The expenses report revealed Mr Smith spent £170,235.42 last year.
• Mr Smith was interviewed on the BBC’s Today Programme on Saturday criticising the EU’s decision (and then retraction) to over-ride the Brexit Northern Ireland border deal and create checks on vaccine’s coming into the UK.  Mr Smith called the act “almost Trumpian”.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, he is what we found on Mr Adams:

• The MP hit out at the Yorkshire Post for running a story about vaccines from Yorkshire being redistributed to the south of England. He tweeted that the story was “irresponsible and sad”. In a public row with a number of conservative MPs on the report, the paper’s Editor robustly defended the story.  
• The expenses report revealed Mr Adams spent £191,616.52 last year, the most of our three MPs.
• He tweeted 16 times in January, including a screenshot that revealed he walked 24,101 steps in one day.
• A big sports fan, Mr Adams hailed the England cricket team’s series win over Sri Lanka.
• The minister for Asia called on the Hong Kong authorities to “end their targeting of pro-democracy voices.”

South Park Dental Practice in Harrogate has been taken over by the Leeds-based Perfect Smile Clinic, with owner Dr Sanjay Gautam joining the staff.

The practice on South Park Road was owned by Dr Ian Auckland who has worked as a dentist in Harrogate since 1986. He will now reduce his hours with Dr Gautam taking on his patients.

Patients registered with Dr Kit Barnfather will continue to see him and these changes will not affect them.

Dr Gautam was brought up in Yorkshire and studied dentistry at King’s College London, qualifying in 1993.

Perfect Smile Clinic also has dentist practices in York, Leeds and Horsforth.

Read more:

Proposal to close NHS dentist in Harrogate

Fifteen Harrogate postal workers self-isolating after covid case

Dr Gautam wrote a message for patients on the website for the Harrogate practice.

“I am sure that there will be a few changes along the way, but most of all I want to reassure you that you will continue to receive the high-quality treatment, that you have come to expect from our practice.”

Dentists have been allowed to remain open during the current lockdown, with social distancing in place.

The government has committed up to £56 million in funding for an overhaul of the Kex Gill section of the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton.

The proposed new road will divert traffic away from the landslip-prone part of the route and will see the creation of a diversion west of Blubberhouses at Kex Gill.

The project, which is yet to receive planning permission, would take a year to complete with the county council covering the remaining £4.95 million.

Read more:

• £60 million A59 Kex Gill reroute recommended for approval
• Killinghall bypass ‘could cost in excess of £20 million’

The plan for the realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill as proposed by North Yorkshire County Council. Picture: NYCC.

The site has a long history of landslips, which have blighted travel on the road for years.

According to North Yorkshire County Council planning documents, between October 2000 and May 2019, five landslips were recorded at the site and the retaining wall failed four times.

North Yorkshire County Council’s planning and regular functions committee met earlier this month to consider the proposals, which received extensive support from the public and North Yorkshire county councillors.

However, no decision was made after Lewis Williams, representing mining firm Sibelco, requested the application is given final approval by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick.

Mr Jenrick is yet to respond to the request.

Mr Williams argued the valuable minerals in the area should be given more consideration.

Although the Blubberhouses quarry closed some years ago, he said there remained significant mineral deposits which were valuable to industry but had been overlooked in a plan that was “ham-fisted, rushed and ill-conceived”.

A total of 15 postal workers in Harrogate are self-isolating following a positive covid test from a member of staff at Royal Mail’s delivery office on Claro Road.

The company said any disruption caused to the regular postal service “has been kept to a minimum” due to the flexibility of remaining staff members.

Following the positive case, the company undertook a deep clean of the site.

The Communication Workers Union and Public Health England are being kept updated.

Read more:

• Covid patients at Harrogate hospital hits record high
• Two Harrogate district villages show big covid spike

A Royal Mail spokesperson said:

“There is currently one colleague who has tested positive for coronavirus at Harrogate delivery office. We wish them a speedy recovery. Some colleagues are also self-isolating due to the test and trace app.

“We have carried out an intensive clean of the site and have organised additional cleaning of key touch points and all communal areas.

“We are keeping the CWU, PHE and colleagues updated. Any disruption to deliveries as a result of the absences, has been kept to a minimum through the dedication and flexibility of the delivery postmen and women who remain at work.”

North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has promised to visit Ripon to hear people’s concerns about escalating crime.

Ripon City Council wrote to Ms Mulligan last week asking to meet to discuss the “ongoing problem” of violence and anti-social behaviour in the city.

One councillor, Sid Hawke, said at a meeting last week the city was “sick of these yobbos”. Council leader Andrew Williams said some older people were too frightened to go onto Market Square.

In her written response, seen by the Stray Ferret, Ms Mulligan says she will meet councillors once she has been briefed by North Yorkshire Police.

She wrote:

“Once I have received this, I would be very willing to meet with you to hear your concerns first-hand.

“I will also arrange a public surgery for residents in Ripon, so that I can hear their views for myself.”

Ms Mulligan also said she will discuss the situation with Lisa Winward, North Yorkshire’s chief constable:

He said:

“I am pleased our concerns are being taken seriously and I hope we can all work together on this”.

Yorkshire Water could build a solar farm on its wastewater plant near Spofforth.

The company has submitted an environmental impact assessment to the council for its site on Ribston Road, near the village.

The plans are still in their early stages and it has not been decided how much space to allocate for the solar panels.

Yorkshire Water, which is the second largest landowner in the county, plans to develop energy at 150 of its sites as part of a plan to become carbon net-zero by 2030.

A spokesman for the company said the sewage farm would continue to operate alongside the solar panels.

He added:

“Many of Yorkshire Water’s treatment works include land that could be used for different purposes, such as ground mounted solar arrays.

“These allow us to maximise the value of otherwise unused land, while providing renewable energy to offset the consumption of existing on-site assets.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods expansion refused

• Sky lantern and balloon ban moves closer despite enforcement power fears

In November the company submitted proposals for a similar solar scheme at its sewage works in Bilton.

The plans attracted concern from Leeds Bradford Airport, which said in its consultation response that the panels could dazzle pilots.

Two long-serving councillors who vocally opposed Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans into Rotary Wood at yesterday’s planning committee have expressed their pride at the decision to refuse the application

Eight councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the plans, with four abstaining.

Conservative councillor for Harrogate Harlow Jim Clark told the Stray Ferret the decision “showed the common sense of the planning committee”.

He said:

“I was very pleased and it was the right result. It will restore people’s confidence that there are excellent councillors on the planning committee.”

Mr Clark also paid tribute to local residents who he said “are very well informed” on issues surrounding the environment.

He said he hopes the debate around the bottling plant shows that local issues can be “at the forefront of climate change.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Spring Water’s Pinewoods expansion refused

• Harrogate Spring Water to ‘consider options’ following expansion refusal

Liberal Democrat councillor for Hookstone, Pat Marsh, who has been a councillor in Harrogate since 1990, told the Stray Ferret the Pinewoods application has been one of the most passionately felt issues in Harrogate in decades.

She praised members of the planning committee as well as many members of the public who wrote to her about the plans.

“I was very grateful to fellow members for standing up and saying this is wrong.

“I’m so grateful for all the people who took time and energy to contact me, especially the children. It made me very emotional.”

What happens next?

Harrogate Spring Water, which was bought last year by multinational firm Danone, already has outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site.

The company could choose to stick with this outline planning permission, appeal yesterday’s decision or submit a different application.

Immediately following the decision yesterday, Harrogate Spring Water released a statement that said it was considering its options.

Sales and marketing director Rob Pickering added:

“We would like to reassure our local community that we are committed to keeping them informed and involved with any environmental measures and landscaping developments at the Harrogate Spring Water site in the future.”

The Pinewoods Conservation Group charity called on Harrogate Borough Council to safeguard Rotary Wood from development.

In response, a HBC spokesman said:

“Outline planning permission, granted by the planning committee in 2017 for Harrogate Spring Water Limited to expand its bottling plant, still exists. This approved application (16/05254/OUTMAJ) permits the applicant to expand into Rotary Wood. Should an application for reserved matters be received, this will be reported to the planning committee.

“A separate decision by the council as landowner, regarding any potential disposal of the site and the status of the site as an Asset of Community Value, would still be required and subject to elected member approval.”

Harrogate Spring Water’s controversial plans to remove trees in the Pinewoods to expand its bottling plant have been overwhelmingly rejected.

Eight councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the plans this afternoon, with four abstaining.

Harrogate Spring Water, which was bought last year by multinational firm Danone, already has outline planning permission to expand to the west of its existing site.

A report to councillors recommended deferring and approving the new application to expand but it was rejected following a heated debate.

Harrogate Spring Water said immediately after the verdict it would now consider its options.

The company applied to expand its bottling plant from 0.77 hectares to 0.94 hectares, which would have meant destroying public woodland planted by local families in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood.

To compensate, it offered to replant trees, create scrubland and build a pond on land behind Harlow Carr Gardens, which is on private land.

‘Not just any wood’

Conservative councillor for Valley Gardens Sam Gibbs spoke first and called on the planning committee to reject the application.

He called Rotary Wood “not just any wood” and said he had spoken to many local residents who were “confused, upset, or angry” about the application.

Neil Hind, chair of the Pinewoods Conservation Group charity, said the “world has changed” since the covid pandemic, which “has shown the importance of our green spaces”.

He added:

“Why would you approve it? Does the name of Harrogate want to be associated with single-use plastic? As a district, we can offer so much more, especially around our amazing green spaces.

“The reasons to approve to not stack up. Eyes from all over the world are on Harrogate, this is time to put Harrogate on the map for the right reasons.”

Stuart Natkus from planning agent Barton Willmore spoke on behalf of Harrogate Spring Water.

‘Not plastic vs trees’

He described the application as a “one-off opportunity” to expand the business, adding it did not intend expand further into the Pinewoods after this.

He said the argument is “not as simple as plastic vs trees” as the company was exploring alternative materials for bottles, such as cans and cardboard, which the extension would help facilitate.

He said:

“Harrogate Spring Water is fully committed to the community. Their brand is what sells, as part of that they have a huge responsibility.”

Conservative Cllr Jim Clark for Harrogate Harlow questioned claims by Harrogate Spring Water that they have been “good neighbours” to people living close to the bottling plant. Instead he described them as “neighbours from hell”.

Read more:

• How Harrogate Borough Council benefits from Harrogate Spring Water plant

• Costly appeal could await council if Harrogate Spring Water plans refused

In response, Rob Pickering, marketing manager at Harrogate Spring Water, said the company “have always had an approach to the community and environment that we consider hugely important to us”.

‘Not on my watch’

Nigel Simms was the only councillor who spoke in favour of the plans. He called the concerns around plastic waste and the environment “hang-ups” and urged councillors to back the plans.

He said:

“I can’t see that all the arguments for biodiversity and plastic have anything to do with this council and whether they give them planning permission.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Pat Marsh, who sat on the planning committee when the bottling plant was first proposed in the year 2000, cited national planning policy around protecting the natural environment and the council’s Local Plan as reasons for refusal.

She said:

“Harrogate Borough Council is saying profit and plastic before impact on the environment. Not on my watch. We have good grounds for refusal and I hope members will refuse this.”

Harrogate Spring Water has said it will “consider our options” following today’s refusal of plans to expand its bottling plant into Rotary Wood in the Pinewoods.

Eight councillors on Harrogate Borough Council’s 12-person planning committee voted to refuse the controversial plans this afternoon, with four abstaining.

The company could choose to appeal the decision, submit another application or stick with the original outline planning permission obtained in 2016.

Rob Pickering, a senior spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water, said:

“We’re disappointed by the committee’s decision to reject the revision of our planning application.

“We have been able to clearly demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits, as well as outline our commitment to leaving a positive environmental impact. At this stage, we will need to consider our options and decide on our next steps.

“However, irrespective of this decision, we would like to reassure our local community that we are committed to keeping them informed and involved with any environmental measures and landscaping developments at the Harrogate Spring Water site in the future.”

Neil Hind, chair of Pinewoods Conservation Group who spoke at the meeting, called on Harrogate Borough Council to commit to protecting Rotary Wood from future planning applications.

He said:

“We thank the planning committee for their considered debate and we are very pleased with their outcome to reject this application.

“We also thank all those groups, supporters and residents who have supported our campaign that has been much appreciated.

“We will now be asking Harrogate Council at their meeting on February 10 to confirm, following the massive public backlash to these proposals, that they have no plans to sell or lease any part of Rotary Wood, now or in the future.”

Read more:

• How Harrogate Borough Council benefits from Harrogate Spring Water plant

• Costly appeal could await council if Harrogate Spring Water plans refused

A spokesperson for the Harrogate & District Green Party, welcomed the decision:

“We are of course really pleased that the decision to enlarge the original factory extension has been rejected.  Well done to everyone for their hard work raising awareness of this local issue.  

“We are also grateful for members of the planning committee in representing the people and the environment, not least Cllr Jim Clark’s remark that ‘this is where the battle for the planet is going to be fought’ and making Harrogate a world leader – not of shipping pollution around the world but of environmentally friendly solutions.”

The Rotary Club of Harrogate said it was “heartened” by the decision.

President Alistair Ratcliffe said:

“We are heartened that Harrogate Borough Council has taken the decision to reject this application and that any further planned destruction of the Rotary Wood will be avoided.

“We will, with others, commit ourselves to ensuring that the loss of biodiversity, carbon capture and the loss of community value as an amenity are fully compensated.”

The number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district has fallen slightly — bucking the national trend.

Office for National Statistics data published today reveals 3,540 people in the Harrogate district were claiming out-of-work benefits on December 10.

This is down by 85 on the November figure of 3,625.

At 3.7%, Harrogate is considerably below the UK figure of 6.3% for people claiming the benefits, which include Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit.

Universal Credit is available for some people in work as well as the unemployed.

Read more:

• What next for Debenhams building in Harrogate?
• Ripley dog groomer calls on council to offer covid financial support

Figures in the district have remained stable throughout the pandemic, which suggests the government furlough scheme has protected many staff from redundancy.

Today’s ONS figures reveal 5% of the UK population is unemployed, which is the highest rate for more than four years.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:

“This crisis has gone on far longer than any of us hoped – and every job lost as a result is a tragedy,”

“Whilst the NHS is working hard to protect people with the vaccine, we’re throwing everything we’ve got at supporting businesses, individuals and families.”