Ripon MP Julian Smith extends £3,000 an hour advisory role

Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon Julian Smith will be paid £3,000 an hour to advise a green energy company for another 12 months.

Mr Smith was first appointed to the advisory position at Ryze Hydrogen in August last year when it was announced he would be paid £60,000 for 20 hours work.

The MP’s register of interests reveals he will have the same arrangement with the company from August 1 until July 31 2022.

Ryze Hydrogen produces and distributes the low-carbon fuel hydrogen. Its chief executive Jo Bamford also owns Wrightbus, a Northern Irish bus manufacturer. Mr Bamford is also a board member of the family-owned JCB company.

As Mr Smith was the Northern Ireland secretary until February 2020, he was warned by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about a “perceived conflict of interest” in taking on the role.

‘Very lucrative remuneration’

Mr Smith has been an MP since 2010 and is paid £81,932 a year for the position.

Alongside his MP’s salary, he earns an additional £130,000 for being an external advisor to three private companies.

Brian McDaid, who stood for the Labour Party against Mr Smith in Skipton and Ripon in 2019, previously told the Stray Ferret that the MP should focus more on his constituents.

He said:

“During these times of austerity and the impact of the pandemic on us all, Mr Smith must be struggling on his MP’s salary to have to seek additional work with very lucrative remuneration.

“His constituents deserve so much better, especially during these very difficult and uncertain times.”

Mr Smith’s three jobs

Ryze Hydrogen: £60,000 for 12 months. He is expected to work 20 hours.

In August last year, Mr Smith took an advisory role with Ryze 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.

Simply Blue Management: £2,000 a month for one or two hours a month over 12 months.

In January this year, 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.

From March 2020, 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.

The Stray Ferret contacted both Julian Smith and Ryze Hydrogen about the appointment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Delight for fans as Harrogate Town allowed spectators on Saturday

Harrogate Town have been given the all clear to allow home and away fans into the ground for the opening match of the season against Rochdale on Saturday.

The announcement will come as a relief to supporters of both clubs as speculation mounted that the game would be played behind closed doors.

This was after North Yorkshire County Council identified 17 “unacceptable risks” at the club’s EnviroVent Stadium, including issues with the CCTV system, control room, and stewarding.

It appears the issues have now been resolved after the club issued a statement this afternoon saying it had now been given permission to sell tickets by the council’s safety advisory group, which has the final say on whether supporters can attend.

Visiting Rochdale supporters will be housed in the Myrings stand and EnviroVent seated terrace.

The club also apologised to both sets of fans for the uncertainty.

“We would like to thank our supporters for their patience at this difficult time and to those who have sent positive messages of support.

“We would like to apologise to both our supporters and Rochdale supporters for the delay in confirming arrangements at Saturday’s fixture and the subsequent inconvenience this has caused.

“It has been a difficult process but the safety of everyone at the stadium is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

Tickets for the game, as well as a Carabao Cup fixture on August 10, also against Rochdale, are available to purchase here. No tickets will be sold at the turnstiles.

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Rochdale fans frustrated by ‘embarrassing’ ticket situation at Harrogate Town

With fans still in the dark about whether they will be allowed to attend Harrogate Town‘s opening match of the season, supporters of opponents Rochdale have given a damning assessment of the situation.

Town’s League Two campaign is set to kick off on Saturday at the EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road against the Lancashire club.

There’s about 72 hours to go and it’s still unclear whether fans will be allowed inside the ground after North Yorkshire County Council identified 17 “unacceptable risks” at the stadium, including issues with the CCTV system, control room, and stewarding.

The council’s refusal to issue a safety certificate meant fans were unable to attend the friendly against Sunderland on July 24. Home fans were permitted to watch the final pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers on Sunday but no away fans were let in.

No tickets are on sale yet for this weekend’s Rochdale match. A club spokesperson told the Stray Ferret last night it was working “tirelessly and vigorously” behind the scenes to resolve the situation.

But the uncertainty so close to kick off has frustrated Rochdale fans who are unsure whether to plan to make the trip across the Pennines.

Josh Dolan told the Stray Ferret he hoped to take his 18-month old daughter to her first game.

Mr Dolan said the English Football League should intervene and questioned whether Town’s off-the-field operation is set up for the rigours of the professional game. He said:

“How can the EFL not get involved because if this was any other team, like Barrow, Rochdale or Oldham they’d be on us like a ton of bricks? It makes me think are they even ready for the football league? It’s embarrassing for your club really”.

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Mr Dolan said Harrogate Town should have communicated the situation better to supporters:

“I would like to say let the fans know in advance due to people that have booked hotels and travel. In a nutshell, they need to liaise with the fans instead of keeping them in the dark”.

Another Rochdale fan, Nathaniel McNulty, is also looking forward to visiting Harrogate for the first time.

He said:

[It’s a] new ground for many, if not all of us, and I was going to make a day of it. I’d not bought tickets for the train just yet, but, like many other Dale fans, I think this is where my frustrations lie. I just want to get it booked and organised for the first game of the season.”

He said he understood that safety concerns needed to be addressed and was skeptical about fans being allowed in.

“It almost feels like delaying the inevitable.”

Staff absences force Harrogate council to delay bin collections

Harrogate Borough Council has warned residents that some waste collections will be delayed this week due to staff absences.

The council tweeted this afternoon that refuse, recycling and garden waste pick-ups will be delayed through the week but it hopes to have outstanding collections caught up by 5pm on Saturday.

It is not the first time waste and recycling collections have been disrupted in recent months.  In June, an outbreak of covid among staff working for HBC caused delays.

Last month, Cllr Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of HBC, said people should not expect public services such as bin collections to be “immune” to the same disruptions seen in the private sector brought on by the NHS covid app “pinging” people.

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Due to a number of staff absences, some garden waste, refuse and recycling collections may be delayed this week.

If your street isn’t collected as normal, you don’t need to worry about reporting it to us… [1/2]

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) August 3, 2021

Harrogate district farmers warned of campsite risks

Harrogate district farmers thinking of opening up their farms to campers have been warned of a “risk minefield”.

Planning regulations now allow farmers in England to operate a campsite without planning permission up to 56 days – double the usual 28-day limit.

It was extended by the government to bolster farmers’ income and encourage domestic holidays as foreign travel continues to be disrupted due to covid.

However, farms can be dangerous places with 34 deaths occurring in England during 2020/21, a 62% rise on the previous year.

Matt McWhirter, of rural insurance broker Lycetts, said many farmers are unaware of the risks involved when they decide to diversify their business.

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He said:

“Insurers may have strict conditions on such things as hygiene facilities, health and safety assessments, fire risk assessments and site access, and also impose restrictions on what the policy will cover, so farmers could be left exposed to gaps in protection.

“Farmers may not be aware that they need to inform their insurer of their intentions before they set up camp, as they could be in breach of their farm insurance policy. They need to tread carefully as they face a risk minefield.”

Mr McWhirter said farmers should also clearly mark the areas where public access is permitted and where it is forbidden, such as where livestock or machinery is held.

Football ground safety expert: Harrogate Town situation could damage reputation of club

An expert on safety at football grounds believes the current situation at Harrogate Town could damage the reputation of the club if fans are unable to buy tickets to the season opener on Saturday due to safety concerns at the EnviroVent Stadium.

With less than four days until kick-off, frustrated Town fans are in the dark about whether they can attend the League Two opener on Saturday afternoon against Rochdale AFC.

It’s the same for Rochdale supporters who have taken to social media to criticise Harrogate Town with some saying they have bought train tickets and booked hotels.

Playing the game in front of an empty ground would be a major embarrassment for the Wetherby Road club who will shortly begin their second-ever season in the English Football League.

“Unacceptable risks”

North Yorkshire County Council banned fans from attending a friendly against Sunderland on July 24 after identifying 17 “unacceptable risks” for fan safety at the club’s EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road. These included problems with the CCTV system, the ground’s control room and stewarding.

It’s unclear if these issues can be overcome in time for Saturday’s kick-off.

Martin O’Hara, national council member for the Football Supporter’s Association and chair of the South Yorkshire Police Independent Advisory Group that is responsible for ground safety, told the Stray Ferret that if NYCC bans fans from attending it would damage the reputation of the club.

He added:

“It is very unusual that a club wouldn’t be allowed to open it’s gates at the start of the season.”

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Mr O’Hara said there are “generally workarounds” for safety problems at grounds but it remains to be seen if expensive and complex systems such as CCTV can be rectified in time.

He also said the uncertainty raises questions about the status of the hundreds of season tickets that have been sold.

Mr O’Hara added:

“I would expect there to be a lot going on behind the scenes with the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at the council, the local police and the club”.

What needs to happen?

The safety standards at football grounds are set by the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

These are included in a document called “The Green Guide” that has been written by regulator the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA).

The SGSA issues guidance to council SAGs and has its own inspectors who work with them. Before each fixture, the local authority issues a safety certificate and enforces the safety standards.

Harrogate Town released the following statement this afternoon:

“The club are continuing to work with the Safety Advisory Group and Sports Ground Safety Authority to ensure supporters are able to attend Saturday’s EFL opener against Rochdale. As soon as any further information is available it will be communicated.”

Police arrest two men after damage to properties in Bilton

North Yorkshire Police arrested two men in Bilton last night following reports of damage to properties.

Officers were responding to reports from the Woodfield Road area of the Harrogate suburb last night.

The force’s Dutch Herder police dog, PD Bobby, was brought in to find the suspects.

The two men are currently in custody.

If you were involved in any of these incidents and have not yet reported this to the police, please call 101.

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Plans to convert former Lower Dunsforth pub into flats

Plans have been submitted to convert a former pub and restaurant in Lower Dunsforth into three flats.

Stonefield Developments has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the building, which was most recently a restaurant called The Hideaway Kitchen. Before that it was a pub called The Dunsforth.

The village is four miles from Boroughbridge.

The restaurant closed last year. Planning documents cite a “lack of customer trade and consequent viability issues” as the reason.

The documents add it was recently re-marketed as a restaurant but received no interest.

The upper floor of the building already has three existing flats, so if approved the building would have six in total.

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Two other nearby village pubs have had applications to convert them into housing over the past year.

In March 2021, Harrogate Borough Council approved plans to turn the former Green Tree pub in Little Ouseburn into housing.

The pub, which is on the main B6265 from Green Hammerton to Boroughbridge, closed in late 2019.

In the same month, the council also approved a plan to turn The Crown Inn pub in Great Ouseburn into a five-bedroom home.

Campaigners in Harrogate call for change to ‘unequal’ voting system

Campaigners in Harrogate called for a change to the “unequal” UK voting system yesterday.

Members of the cross-party pressure group Make Votes Matter were at the town’s war memorial handing out leaflets about proportional representation (PR) and speaking to passers-by.

In the 2019 general election, 54% of votes in North Yorkshire went to the Conservative Party yet they hold 7 out of the 8 seats in Parliament. Members of the group believe the political make-up of Westminster and local councils should better reflect the way people vote.

Elections for councillors and MPs in this country currently adopt the first-past-the-post system whereby the candidate in each constituency or ward who gets the most votes wins.

Harrogate resident Graham Dixon would like to see the current system replaced with a version of PR so that “every vote matters”.

Scotland, Wales and London, for example, use a version of PR called mixed-member proportional representation whereby people get two votes: one to choose a representative and another for a party.

Many European countries such as the Netherlands and Spain, operate the party list proportional representation, whereby voters elect a group of MPs, rather than a single person.

Mr Dixon said:

“First-past-the-post polarises society and sets people against each other. It encourage a two-party state.

“Very few seats change hands in the UK, they are cast in stone.”

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The Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency has been held by the Conservative Andrew Jones since 2010. Critics of the current system locally believe it makes a two-horse race between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats a near-certainty, with Labour and Green voters often forced to vote tactically.

Former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Skipton and Ripon Andrew Murday wants to see first-past-the-post in the bin.

Mr Dixon believes a PR system would mean the electorate wouldn’t have to choose the “least worst option”.

“PR does away with the need for tactical voting and encourages people to vote. Some people don’t bother to vote in Harrogate.

“From the housing mess in Harrogate to cycle lanes, it’s all affected by how people have voted.”

Harrogate Borough Council is set to be abolished to make way for a North Yorkshire mega council in 2023.

Mr Dixon said re-organisation presented an opportunity to bring in PR and enable all voters to have a stronger voice in what is a traditional Conservative heartland.

However, he accepts that the chances of it happening under the current government are unlikely.

69 positive covid cases reported in Harrogate district

The district has recorded another 69 new covid cases in the last 24 hours, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 270 cases per 100,000 people.

Elsewhere, the North Yorkshire rate stands at 268 and the England average is 295.

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported a covid-related death in three-and-a-half months.

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It means the covid death toll at the hospital since March 2020 remains at 179.

Latest figures show that the hospital is treating nine covid patients compared with just three a week ago.

Elsewhere, 122,817 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 103,654 have had a second dose.