Harrogate and Knaresborough Reform candidate replaced after internal ‘bust-up’

Reform UK replaced its candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough after an internal row over some of his social media comments.

Richard Brown was named as the party’s parliamentary candidate in August last year.

But he was one of eight nationwide candidates described as ‘unsavoury rogues’  in a Mail on Sunday investigation in March.

The article claimed Mr Brown “made misogynistic remarks about Labour MP Jess Phillips” and shared false claims that doctors refused to treat Boris Johnson on the basis that he didn’t have covid.

Reform UK initially stood by Mr Brown but he was eventually replaced by John Swales, who stood for the party in last month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election.

The two men were friends but speaking to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Brown said they had a “big bust-up two or three weeks ago” and he “didn’t want to see the bugger again”.

He claimed he was “sacked without justification” and described the Reform UK leadership as “incompetent”, adding:

“I’ve had to cope with it for last 18 months.”

Mr Brown said he and some other former Reform candidates and supporters had formed a movement called Restore GB, which had similar policies to Reform but “without the baggage”. He added:

“We want Reform policies but can’t work with the Reform hierarchy.”

Mr Brown said he was trying to register the organisation in time to stand as a candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election on July 4.

He said he founded Reform’s party in Harrogate in February last year and had built it up to have hundreds of supporters, adding:

“Reform Harrogate would be nothing without me.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Swales about Mr Brown’s comments.

He replied:

“Richard Brown was appointed to set up Reform UK in Harrogate and Knaresborough and was part of the team that established their presence over the last 18 months.

“With a new prospective parliamentary candidate now in post and a superb team of activists being developed, Reform UK now have the opportunity to significantly enhance their profile and expand local awareness of their detailed policies.”

He added:

“The appointment and management of prospective parliamentary candidates is dealt with centrally by the senior leadership team at Reform UK headquarters.”

Read more:

Fun in the Park comes to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A family-friendly event is set to take over Harrogate’s Valley Gardens tomorrow.

Fun in the Park at Valley Gardens will include fair rides, entertainers, street food and dinosaurs hiding in the garden.

The event will take place daily over the bank holiday and during next week’s school half-term holiday. It will be on from 11am until the evening.

The event, put on by Northallerton-based events company Crow Leisure Group Ltd,is free to enter but the rides are paid for.

The tea cups ride will be at Fun in the Park at Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

There will also be a land train taking visitors between the Valley Gardens entrance and the fun fair via a scenic route.

The Land Train will take visitors on a tour of Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

Crow Leisure Group is an events and experiences company that provides entertainment ranging from pop-up ice rinks to music festivals.

Founder and chief executive Alex Crow told the Stray Ferret this is the first time the company has come to Harrogate.

He said:

“It is really exciting, this is our first time in Valley Gardens and it is a privilege to be able to work in there and present everything we do to people in Harrogate.

“It is a beautiful garden and a perfect opportunity for us to use the land train so that people can explore the park.”

Dinosaurs and a bubbleologist are set to appear in Valley Gardens. Image: Crow Leisure Ltd.

Read more:

Council backs down from legal battle with housebuilder over 53 homes in Harrogate

A long-running campaign to prevent 53 homes being built off a quiet cul-de-sac in Harrogate has suffered a severe setback.

Teesside developer Jomast applied to build the homes off Knox Lane in Bilton.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee overruled a council officer’s recommendation when they voted to reject the scheme in September last year.

The campaign group Keep Knox Natural hailed the the outcome, which it said had “strengthened local community spirit and resolve”.

Jomast subsequently appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate and indicated it intended to seek costs. It said the plans had been recommended for approval by council officers four times and councillors were wrong not to approve them.

Trevor Watson, the council’s assistant director of planning, said today it had “agreed not to contest” the appeal.

Mr Watson said:

“In October 2023 we refused planning permission for 53 houses at Knox Lane, Harrogate on grounds relating to highway matters, landscape impact and biodiversity issues. The developer Jomast appealed the decision with the Planning Inspectorate.

“The public inquiry to consider the appeal will take place from July 23, 2024 where all interested parties will be able to put their views forward to the independent planning inspector who will make a final decision.

“However, following external legal advice, members of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee have decided not to contest the appeal.”

Read more:

Harrogate College taking ‘massive gamble’ with parking space reduction, councillor saysHarrogate and Knaresborough MP pledges to ‘work hard’ to win voters’ trust

The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has greeted the news of the impending general election with a combative statement and a pledge that he will be “working hard” to win voters’ trust again.

Andrew Jones was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and has won the constituency at four general elections. Unlike 65 of his parliamentary party colleagues, such as Theresa May, Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Ben Wallace, he intends to stand again and win a fifth on July 4.

In a statement, Mr Jones contrasted his strong links to the area with those of his opponents. He said:

“I am standing again to be Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP. I have never stood anywhere else but here. I have lived here since the last century. I have been a local councillor here. I worked in business here before becoming an MP. I have a long-term track record of action and delivery in our community.

“My principal opponents cannot match that local record. One [Liberal Democrat candidate Tom Gordon] has been a councillor in Newcastle, was a councillor In Wakefield as recently as last year and has stood for Parliament twice already in other seats. The other [Labour candidate Conrad Whitcroft] is a councillor in York.”

The constituency, and the previous Harrogate constituency that included Knaresborough, has been held by Conservatives continuously since 1950, except when the Liberal Democrat Phil Willis was MP from 1997 to 2010. He now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Willis of Knaresborough.

Before 1950, Harrogate and Knaresborough were part of the Ripon constituency, which was held by the Tories continuously from 1910.

Nevertheless, speaking to the Stray Ferret last year, Mr Jones said he’d never regarded the constituency as “anything other than a marginal”, and in his latest statement cautioned against change. He said:

“Nationally, the choice has become clearer as the economy has turned a corner. We embed that progress and build on it or we risk it all on a Labour party with no plan for our future and no policies.

“On 5 July we will wake up with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister or Keir Starmer. No other outcome is possible. And there has only ever been a Labour Prime Minister when this constituency has elected anyone other than a Conservative.

“Choosing that local champion combined with choosing our next Prime Minister is the responsibility that lies with us all on 4 July. I hope that Harrogate and Knaresborough residents will choose me again and I will be working hard win that trust once more.”

Other than Mr Jones, four candidates have so far declared their intention to stand for election as MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough: Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrats; Shan Oakes, Green Party; John Swales, Reform UK; and Conrad Whitcroft, Labour.

The general election was called yesterday (Wednesday, May 22) by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and will take place on July 4.

Read more:

 

Harrogate florist wins third gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

A Harrogate florist has been awarded its third gold medal at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show.

Helen James Flowers, based on Station Parade, received the accolade for the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year category.

It is the fifth year the company has been invited to compete at the show.

Laura Pannitt, daughter of owner Helen James, created the design and represented the business at the show.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“This year was the first time I’ve submitted a design and exhibited at Chelsea.

“The RHS usually release a schedule at the end of the previous year or beginning of the year. You then submit your design with an explanation of how it would be executed and what flowers would be used, then you’re selected from there.”

Ms James said her daughter was one of just 10 lucky florists selected to compete in the category.

Helen James Flowers’ display at Chelsea Flower Show.

The category brief was ‘colour’, Ms Pannitt said, adding she felt inspired to create something “bold” and “energetic”.

She said:

“I wanted to represent something like the cycle of nature.

“The base structure was neutral, a little like a seed first being sowed, then it becomes this colourful and exciting display. It’s a bit like the seed then blossoming into a plant or flower.”

The display, which had to sit on a 40cm x 40xcm plinth, featured a range of fresh flowers, including gloriosa, knipofia, scabious, clematis, dahlias and more.

The base structure took around a week to build, Ms Panitt said, adding the flower arrangement then took another 7 hours to put together.

She added:

“I was so excited but it’s also so nerve-wracking. You know you’re down there with the best of the best.

“I’d love to do it again though. Hopefully, if we get selected again, I can.”

Helen and Laura are only the second mother-daughter team to win gold medals at the show, Ms James said.

Helen James Flowers also struck gold at the show in 2019 and 2023. It was awarded a silver gilt medal in 2022.

The floristry firm was also named RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year in 2019.

Lara Thorpe of London-based Wild at Heart Flowers won the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year award this year.

Read more:

Police launch investigation after girl, 13, attacked on the StrayOpposition parties prepare for chance to end Tory stranglehold in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Opposition parties have welcomed the chance to end 14 years of Conservative domination in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election.

Andrew Jones has held the seat for the Tories since 2010, winning four elections in a row.

But with some national forecasts predicting a Liberal Democrat win, and Labour buoyant after David Skaith’s mayoral victory, there appears to be everything to play for on July 4.

Electoral Calculus currently gives the Lib Dems a 65% chance of success in Harrogate and Knaresborough, compared with 22% for the Conservatives and 12% for Labour.

But UK Polling Report says the Conservatives have a 35.78% chance, the Lib Dems 35.62%, Labour 24.05% and the Greens 4.1%

Tom Gordon, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate said it was a “once-in-a-generation chance to kick the Conservatives out of power”, adding:

“It’s clear that only the Liberal Democrats can beat the Conservatives in Harrogate and Knaresborough, it’s neck and neck here and every vote will count.

“After years of struggling to get GP and dental appointments, soaring rents and mortgages and our rivers being polluted by filthy sewage, it’s time for a change in Harrogate & Knaresborough.”

Conrad Whitcroft, who was named Labour’s parliamentary candidate yesterday (May 22) just hours before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the election, said:

“After 14 years of Conservative-led failure I am glad that Rishi Sunak has finally had the guts to call a general election. The people of Harrogate and Knaresborough now have the chance to give their verdict on this government’s record of chaos and decline.

“I am proud to have been chosen by the Labour Party to stand in Harrogate and Knaresborough. I am ready to give Harrogate and Knaresborough the chance to vote for change.”

Green Party candidate Shan Oakes said a vote for her party was “a vote for real change”, adding:

“We’re the only party to have clear and consistent policies to move us all towards a fairer,  healthier world where we work with nature instead of trashing her. I’m deeply saddened by the outrageous  profiteering we are seeing at the expense of nature.

“People and nature have been sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed . The Greens have been clear on this for at least half a century…and it’s time our voice was heard.”

John Swales, Reform UK’s candidate, said he hoped to poll a higher percentage of votes in Harrogate and Knaresborough than the 12% to 14% the party was generating nationally.

Mr Swales said Harrogate was no longer a genteel spa town; it had expanded hugely and many people had concerns about issues such as housing that were shared by Reform, he said, adding it was the only real party for change.

Read more:

Harrogate surgery accused of discriminating against older people

A Harrogate charity for older people has raised concerns about a GP surgery making it more difficult for patients to request prescriptions.

Spa Surgery at Mowbray Square Medical Centre has sealed up letterboxes outside the surgery where patients could deposit prescriptions to encourage more people to post orders online.

It prompted 68-year-old patient Michael Burlinson to claim the move was an “egregious example of ageism’, as reported by the Stray Ferret last week.

Kate Rogata, director of Supporting Older People, told the Stray Ferret the move “does feel discriminatory”.

Ms Rogata, whose organisation alleviates isolation and loneliness, said the surgery should recognise “not everyone can use the technology to order prescriptions online”, adding:

“It feels as though they are disenfranchising elderly people. We have to remember the minority and make sure there are options that everyone can use.”

The sealed letter boxes.

Ms Rogata urged the surgery to “reverse” the move, which she described as “slightly retrograde”, and “consider all means for people to request their prescriptions”.

Spa Surgery has said patients can still drop off paper requests in person at the surgery. Ms Rogata welcomed this but said she still had concerns:

“That can only really be done when the practice is open. There should be methods in which people can request or send their requests at any time – like posting it in the letterbox.

“My own surgery welcomes any method of requesting prescriptions.”

‘We are sorry if there’s been any confusion’

Spa Surgery said it had nothing to add to its previous statement in response to Mr Burlinson’s concerns.

Practice manager Clare Hedges said at the time:

“We are sorry if there’s been any confusion.

“In the letter to our patients we wanted to first direct people to our telephone and online services. However, we realised that people who had contacted us with issues which prevented them using digital media or a telephone service may still have a paper prescription.

“If they were heading to our surgery with the intention of using our post box – now sealed – we thought it would be helpful for patients to know they could still drop these off in person or post them to us using Royal Mail.”

Mowbray Square Medical Centre comprises of Spa Surgery, East Parade Surgery and Park Parade Surgery under one roof.

The sealed letter boxes belong to all three practices.

Read more:

Who will be standing in the Harrogate district at the general election?

Five candidates have so far been announced to stand in Harrogate and Knaresborough at this year’s general election.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed today that the country will go to the polls on July 4.

The announcement came amid heightened speculation in Westminster after Mr Sunak called ministers to a cabinet meeting this afternoon.

It means Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, will be defending his 9,675 majority in six weeks’ time.

Mr Jones will be hoping to win the seat he won in 2010 for the fifth consecutive election.

He will be up against at least four other candidates from the Liberal Democrats, Labour, Green Party and Reform UK.

The confirmed candidates so far are:

Skipton and Ripon

Meanwhie, Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, will also be defending the seat he won in 2010.

Mr Smith currently holds a 23,694 majority in the constituency, which he has held since 2010.

So far, Andy Brown has been confirmed as the Green Party candidate for the seat and Simon Garvey will stand for the Reform UK.

The upcoming election will also see the newly created Wetherby and Easingwold be contested for the first time.

The new seat was created as part of parliamentary boundary changes announced by government and will include locations including Boroughbridge, Spofforth and Bishop Monkton in the Harrogate district.

So far, Elmet and Rothwell MP Alec Shelbrooke has been announced as the Conservative candidate for the seat and Mike Jordan will stand for Reform UK.

Read more: