A Knaresborough teenager has been ordered to do 300 hours of community work after pleading guilty to having a knife in Harrogate bar Mojo.

Arterus Moisejevas, 19, was accused of having a flick knife in the venue on Parliament Street on April 10.

Moisejevas, of Colebrooke Meadows, admitted the charge at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday.

He was also ordered to pay a £95 surcharge to fund victim services and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

His case is one of a spate of recent knife crime offences heard in court in Harrogate recently.

Harrogate Pubwatch revealed on Thursday that it had imposed a life ban on someone found carrying a knife in a town centre venue.

The organisation represents about 40 licensed venues in town. Members share information on troublemakers and jointly impose sanctions.

Sadly we have had to impose a lifetime ban on someone found to be carrying a knife in one of our town centre venues a couple of weekends ago. The possession of weapons in Harrogate's pubs, clubs and bars simply won't be tolerated #Harrogate

— Harrogate Pubwatch (@hgpubwatch) April 27, 2022

Police: knives produce ‘false sense of security’

Asked whether knife crime in the Harrogate district was increasing and, if so, what action it was taking, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“Carrying a knife is a completely false sense of security. Producing a knife does not de-escalate a confrontation, it makes a bad situation worse and drastically increases the chance of you yourself being injured by that blade.

“As part of our efforts to tackle knife crime, we support Operation Sceptre, which is a twice-yearly national coordinated week of activity where police forces across the country help keep knives off the streets and deter people from carrying them, and through information and intelligence, proactively target knife-related offences.

“In July last year, changes to the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 were introduced which mean it is an offence to possess certain items such as knuckledusters, throwing stars and zombie knives, even in private.

“To anyone who is concerned for a friend or family member who they think maybe carrying a knife, please speak to them and explain the dangers. Tell them the safer and smarter thing to do is to put the knife down or come and surrender it at one of our police stations. You could be saving a life.

“Anyone with information on knife crime in their local community can always contact police on 101 or can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.”

Plans to redevelop Harrogate Borough Council’s former headquarters have been recommended for approval next week.

The proposals for Crescent Gardens, which has sat empty for five years, include a two-storey extension, rooftop restaurant, gym and new office space.

The plans have been recommended for approval at a meeting on May 10 after the council’s planning department released a report saying the redevelopment would “increase the vitality of this town centre site and prove beneficial in boosting Harrogate’s economy”.

Harrogate-based property developers Impala Estates are behind the proposals after purchasing the building for £4 million in 2020.
This came after the council moved to its new Knapping Mount headquarters in 2017.

At the time, the council announced it would sell Crescent Gardens to property developer Adam Thorpe who had plans for a £75 million redevelopment including luxury apartments, an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool and restaurant.

But two years later, Mr Thorpe’s company ATP Ltd fell into administration with debts of almost £11 million, including £24,394 owed to the council.

Crescent Gardens

Crescent Gardens then went back up for sale and was eventually bought by Impala Estates.

Historic England objection

In the report to next Tuesday’s meeting, the council’s planning department said the latest plans from Impala Estates would “alter the locality but on balance are considered acceptable.”

An objection by Historic England questioned the public benefits and said the roof extension should not exceed one storey. The body also said the plans relate “very poorly” to the existing building.

However, the council has argued this view contradicts a previous assessment from Historic England’s predecessor body, English Heritage, which described the building as “poorly proportioned in classical terms” because it was originally restricted to two storeys.

These comments came when English Heritage refused listed status for the building in 2002.

Read more:

• Future of ex-Harrogate council building could be decided this month
• YouTuber raves about Knaresborough and Harrogate takeaways
• Calls to move ‘eyesore’ smart bins at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

Meanwhile, the latest proposals have already won the support of Harrogate Civic Society which described the scheme as “excellent”.

The civic society previously said:

“The existing roof lends itself to a two-storey extension, something that was advocated many times to Harrogate Borough Council, making use of the original design that envisaged future extensions at roof level.

“We are pleased to see that the building will be retained and refurbished as offices, with a restaurant on the roof and meeting rooms within the historic core, as this will retain a degree of public access and use of the building.”

A YouTube star with nearly 500,000 subscribers has given glowing verdicts to two takeaways in the Harrogate district.

Danny Malin, the man behind Rate My Takeaway, visited the The Roast Inn, which is a roast dinner food truck at Knaresborough’s St James retail park and Starling Independent Bar Cafe Kitchen in Harrogate last week.

Mr Malin’s reviews can have a significant impact on trade, as occurred when he recently visited Harrogate’s Thug Sandwich.

His video review of The Roast Inn went live on Friday and already has 124,000 views. He gave it a glowing endorsement, describing the food as “a solid 10 … heavenly”.

The food truck, which has been based on the retail park for 17 years, sells roast sandwiches and roast dinners. Mr Malin opted for a turkey and stuffing sandwich and a roast pork loin dinner with a side of pigs in blankets for £14.

Sitting on his signature camping chair, he said:

“If you’re like me and you like a roast dinner, this is spot on. The gravy is beautiful, nice and thick, the pork is cooked to perfection and absolutely gorgeous. The whole dinner is smothered in gravy with bit of apple sauce, just delicious!”

“To me it’s just like eating heaven, my kind of meal.”

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Moving onto the sandwich, he said the proportion of turkey to sauce and stuffing was “spot on”:

“That’s the one, you know what the thickness of the turkey is bang on, it’s not dry with all those sauces. Oh wow that is spot on, just amazing.”

Giving his final verdict on the Roast Inn, Mr Malin said:

“For me it’s probably one of my favourite takeaways for a while, a solid 10. I’m going to be coming back next time I’m here.”

Rate My Takeaway reviews Starling

On Saturday, his review of Starling went live and by today had 118,000 views. Mr Malin ordered a meat sweats pizza, Philly fries and a Mars bar slice for £22.50.

Mr Malin tucks in at Starling Bar and Kitchen last week.

Starting with the pizza, he said:

“That meatball topping is absolutely quality and the sauce is spot on. I’m getting a proper Italian vibe from those meatballs.

“The only thing is because the base is so thin the toppings can slide off but the flavour, oh my god. I’d describe it as a messy one.”

Whilst sat outside Mr Malin was approached by lots of local fans all keen to know where he’d been to review locally.

The Philly fries, which are skin-on fries topped with pulled pork, gherkins, barbecue sauce and cheese, also won praise:

“Ooh they’re nice them, the chips have got a bit of a crispiness and with the sweet barbecue sauce and the pulled pork its a beautiful flavour buzzing around my mouth.”

Describing the whole meal as “delicious “he gave Starling a 9.5 rating and said it only missed out on the 10 because the toppings fell off.

Harrogate Civic Society and the Friends of Valley Gardens have called for new smart bins at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to be moved.

The bins use sensors to identify different types of waste, as well as how full the receptacles are and whether they have been damaged.

But Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to site two of them immediately outside the main entrance to Valley Gardens, in Harrogate’s conservation area, has been criticised.

Stuart Holland, co-chair of the civic society, said it welcomed receptacles to collect waste and recycling but described the smart bins as ‘eyesores’.

Mr Holland added:

“What is unfortunate is that these particular ones have been positioned in such a way that they spoil the entrance to the gardens and have been laid on a crude base of concrete over paving slabs with no regard for quality of installation.

“This location is at the heart of Harrogate conservation area, opposite a Grade 2* listed building and at the entrance to a designated area of significance.”

A conservation area is defined as an area that has special architectural or historic interest, the character and appearance of which it is considered desirable to preserve or enhance.

Read more:

• ‘Smart bins’ to be trialled in Harrogate from this month
• Harrogate branded the ‘new Hollywood’ after film crews descend

Some planning applications are rejected because of the impact on the conservation area.

Mr Holland added:

“Valley Gardens itself is Grade 2, included within the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest by Historic England, for its special historic interest.

“The paved area on which the bins have been positioned is land incorporated under the Stray Act and as such is subject to strict controls.

“There is no evidence that these controls have been respected. The civic society would welcome meeting with local councillors to look at satisfactory ways of re-positioning these bins.”

The smart bins in the play area. Pic: Harrogate Civic Society

‘Consider moving them’

“The existing bins are constantly overflowing, leaving rubbish blowing around;  the gardening team had to spend many hours removing the rubbish, and this will now be done by a different team.

“The new bins are being trialed in the gardens, and we will be keeping a watching brief.

“We are however concerned about the pair of bins at the entrance on aesthetic grounds, as they are in a significant heritage area. We have asked the council to consider moving them inside the entrance, to the area near  the signboard.”

Plans to increase outdoor dining space at West Park Hotel

Outdoor dining areas could be created in front of shops along West Park if plans by West Park Hotel are approved.

The owners of the hotel and restaurant have applied to place six tables and 19 chairs in front of 17a and 18 West Park, where Moda in Pelle and Georgie’s trade.

The furniture would only be used outside the shops’ opening hours, no later than 10pm, and would be in addition to the furniture already outside West Park Hotel itself.

As part of the application, the owners said:

“The outside dining does create a pleasant ambience and enhance the attractiveness of the street, thereby making a positive contribution to the vitality and vibrancy of the area…

“The portable barriers will prevent encroachment into this pedestrian space.

“The facilities for pedestrians are maintained. Additional outside dining serviced by the West Park Hotel will help meet the increased demand from customers concerned about, or with vulnerability to, Covid 19. Allowing access for all to outside dining in an attractive and serviced location.”

Full details of the proposal can be found via Harrogate Borough Council’s planning website, using reference 22/01593/FUL.

Director leaves accountancy firm to pursue financial coaching role

The founder of a Harrogate accountancy firm is stepping down in order to take on a new challenge.

Teresa Hitchens, pictured left, who founded CCF Accountancy in 2010, will be turning her hand to financial coaching, after building up her own company for more than a decade.

She said:

“This is all about helping people get their business and personal finances in order and using this as the base to help them get to the position they want to be in their business, either working smarter, working less, or exiting and doing something completely different.”

CCF Accountancy will continue trading under the direction of co-owner and operations director Kelly Chadwick, pictured right, and Andy Lock.

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Firefighters urged people to have their chimneys swept regularly after being summoned to a blaze in Scotton last night.

A crew from Knaresborough dealt with the incident at a home in the village at around 9pm.

Using the aerial ladder platform from Harrogate, firefighters were able to extinguish the flames and make safe the chimney pot.

Harrogate Fire Station said in a social media post the cause is believed to be an accumulation of flammable materials within the flue. It added:

“Please do make sure you regularly sweep your chimneys to prevent fires from happening.

“We recommend that your chimney should be swept at least once a year for smokeless fuel, at least twice a year for bituminous coal, and quarterly for wood.”

Read more:

• Napkin in toaster causes fire in Harrogate
• Warning after cigarette causes Penny Pot Lane fire

A government order for bird owners to keep their animals inside to prevent the spread of bird flu ends today.

The order began in November after cases of avian influenza were identified across the country.

It meant hens and other birds have had to be kept indoors for almost six months.

There is no evidence that the virus can affect humans but it is highly contagious among birds and can wipe out poultry flocks.

But the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) now says it is safe to relax the rules due to a low number of cases.

 In a joint statement, the four chief veterinary officers said:

“Whilst the lifting of the mandatory housing measures will be welcome news to bird keepers, scrupulous biosecurity remains the most critical form of defence to help keep your birds safe.

“It is thanks to the hard work of all bird keepers and vets, who have played their part in keeping flocks safe this winter, that we are in a position to take this action. However, the recent cases of avian influenza show that it’s vital that bird keepers remain vigilant for signs of disease and maintain stringent standards of biosecurity.”

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The Harrogate district is rapidly becoming the new hotspot for film crews with the likes of Matt Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart and even a Barbados fire truck spotted locally this week.

The presence of so many cameras and stars suggests more and more producers recognise the district’s beauty and historic appeal.

Shaw Mills has been taken over by a film crew in recent weeks. Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has been in Nidderdale for a new horror movie, with numerous sightings of him in Pateley Bridge in between filming the adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel Starve Acre.

A separate film crew set up on Harrogate’s Cardale Park this week. Phil Sands who works in Mackenzies Deli on the estate said Yorkshire Tea was filming a new advert starring Sir Patrick Stewart.

The actor, best known for his role in the Star Trek and X-Men series, is believed to have been taking part in a two-day shoot for Yorkshire Tea, whose previous adverts featured Sean Bean.

Mr Sands, the manager at Mackenzies Deli, said:

“They were here Wednesday and Thursday and it looked like a big production. Having Sir Patrick Stewart here was pretty amazing. It’s like Harrogate is the new Hollywood!”

The Mackenzies Deli team posted this on Instagram yesterday. Photograph: @mackenziesdeli

Read more:

• Is there a part for you in Ripon Theatre Festival project?
• Rate My Takeaway YouTube star back in Harrogate

A few weeks ago new Netflix film ‘Bank of Dave’ with Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor was filmed at the former Harrogate Borough Council offices in Crescent Gardens.

Today eagle-eyed reader Jonathan Edwards sent us a picture today of a Barbados fire engine driving up Wetherby Road with a camera attached to the front, prompting speculation of yet more filming.

The Stray Ferret has been told a BBC drama is being filmed in Harrogate town centre currently, but it is not known if the fire engine’s appearance related to this.

Photograph: Jonathan Edwards

He has hung out with Hockney, was behind Mia Farrow’s famous pixie haircut and organised the first gigs for the Sex Pistols and The Jam.

Eric Broadbelt has certainly lived a life.

But it is a lifelong obsession with collecting film posters that has led to a conversation with me on a cloudy April day in Pateley Bridge.

Eric, who is also known as Owen, is one of those people who just gives you joy. Within minutes of meeting him, he had me in stitches and I wanted to be his bestie.

It comes as no surprise that he has rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s biggest stars, working as a celebrity hairdresser, photographer and gig promoter in London.

Private collection

Being so well-connected has helped him build up one of the country’s biggest private collections of film posters, which is believed to add up to around 7,000.

He is now displaying and selling his prized posters, which span a century of film, at The Tordoff Gallery, on Pateley Bridge High Street. He runs the impressive venue, which is somewhat of a hidden gem, with his business partner and fellow film enthusiast, Gloria Tordoff.

He said:

“I started collecting about 50 years ago. I’ve loved film posters since I was a child. I just love the artwork.

“When I was a paper boy in Harrogate and I used to go around on my bike, I used to see the posters, especially the Hammers, and they were in these little boxes, just pasted over. I used to think what a waste. I appreciated even at that age that it was art.

“And it is art. Some of those Hammer posters were done by the top poster artists of the day. But they weren’t available to buy.

“Film posters have always been big in America, never really here up until recently.

“So then I started going to auctions and buying posters just to put on my walls because I loved them. I never thought of them as an investment and I wanted to get my hands on as many as I could get.”

Some of Eric’s film posters, including War of the Worlds and Nosferatu.

A growing collection

Eric slowly started building up his collection and every time he bought one it would become his favourite.

He said:

“I would sit and look at it all day and study it and then do the research, which was difficult to do as it was pre-internet. But it was so interesting.

“I’d find out how many were printed, who the artist was, about the movie and slowly the collection got bigger and bigger.

“A poster would just be laid down flat with tissue paper on it and then another one would go on top of it. Then I couldn’t even look at them, as every time I tried to take one out it would tear.

“So this is fabulous for me. Every day we get stuff out that I can’t even remember buying or ever seeing before!”

The posters, which are in immaculate condition, have been displayed or stored away at Eric’s London home for decades.

So when Keith and Gloria Tordoff, former owners of The Oldest Sweetshop in Pateley Bridge, offered him the opportunity to display his collection in an old bank, he jumped at the chance.

He said:

“There is a giant poster of Il Gigante on display here from Sotheby’s that has been rolled up for 30 years. It literally is the only one available in the world. There are probably other ones smaller, but that is in six pieces and is backed on to linen.

“It is the best depiction of James Dean’s face ever. It hasn’t even got a price yet. At the time when I bought it everybody in the room wanted it. But I got it.”

Talking to Eric, you can see how much he adores his collection. His eyes light up and he becomes increasingly animated when he talks about each poster.

He stressed it wasn’t about the money, but rather them going to a good home. Buyers have to be vetted before the posters go.

Star Wars posters, including a rare £20,000 British premier concept version (top left).

‘I just love looking at them’

He said:

“Parting with them is just so hard. I have to go and sit in the car.

“It’s about them going to good homes and I just love looking at them. It’s nice to see people enjoying them. We had a media studies teacher who came in and started crying. He said he had never seen any of these, apart from in books.”

Everywhere you turn in the gallery, it is pure nostalgia. It is a movie treasure trove and there is something from every era, including the modern day.

Eric, who said he would sometimes buy up to 200 posters a day, said:

“I’m getting into the modern stuff as you can put them in the light boxes. The posters are double-sided. They just look fabulous.

“We are waiting for a poster that I’m very excited about. Deadpool. It’s him doing the Flashdance water scene.

“I am still collecting and I get so excited when I know one is coming. I don’t sleep and I can’t get in here early enough.”

Unique posters

Rare posters include a one-of-a-kind Disney’s Snow White poster, There’s No Business Like Showbusiness, of which there are only six in existence, and the Andy Warhol movie Querelle, of which there are believed to be only two in the world.

The rare 1942 Snow White poster.

Eric, who is a self-confessed Disney fanatic, said:

“We’ve got loads of really rare stuff.

“An ordinary Snow White from the first release is about £30,000 and this one is rarer.

“It was the first re-release of 1942, so it was in the war and it had a very small run in just a few cinemas.

“Whereas there were a lot done for the first release, there was probably only a few hundred done for that. It is in immaculate condition.

“The large Flame of New Orleans poster was £8,000 when I bought it and that was 30 years ago and we can’t find another one. So we have a lot of posters that we don’t know the exact value of. If someone was seriously going to buy it, we would obviously find out.”

Spiderman

Eric also showed me a rare 2002 Spiderman poster, which was withdrawn following 9/11 as the Twin Towers can be seen reflected in the superhero’s eye.

The rare 2002 Spiderman poster, with the reflection of the Twin Towers in the superhero’s eye.

There is also a Pulp Fiction poster that features Uma Thurman smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes, which was withdrawn after the film company was sued by Lucky Strike.

Eric said:

“It’s details like this that can make posters more valuable.”

Star Wars

When it comes to posters with the most value, there is a £20,000 Star Wars poster on display that was only ever used for the British premier.

Eric said:

“It was literally only used for that day. It was a  concept poster so the images don’t even look like the actors. That’s why it is £20,000 because it is so rare.”

“We’ve got things like the James Bond movie Thunderball, again that’s £20,000.

“Earlier last year a Dr No poster sold for £60,000 in Sotheby’s and we thought that was a fluke, but then six weeks later another one sold for £90,000.

“You just have to get the right poster. We’ve got Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner. We had that on for £2,000 two weeks ago. Then there was a sale at Christie’s and it doubled in price. They will never go down in value.”

A collection of James Bond posters, including a rare £20,000 Thunderball poster.

‘The best poster ever made’

Eric then showed me Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which he said was considered the “best poster ever made”.

He said:

“It’s by an artist called Saul Bass and he revolutionised poster art. We’ve got a lot of his work. It’s so fascinating when you get into it.

“You never know what people are going to buy. Someone had Shrek 3 on their list the other day. Someone came in asking if we have Burt Reynolds posters.

“We had three people all battling for a signed Back to the Future poster.

“I always say if you can hang it over your bed it’s a good test.”

Hairdresser to the stars

When you delve into Eric’s amazing history, you learn that he actually knew many of the stars named in the poster billings.

He worked at the iconic Vidal Sassoon hairdressers on Bond Street, London, from 1966.

He said:

“A lot of the stars, I’ve done their hair. I’ve worked on a million movies, including Rosemary’s Baby. We did Mia Farrow’s iconic pixie cut.

“I worked on Clockwork Orange. I’ve done Faye Dunaway, Diana Ross, Shirley MacLaine, Charlotte Rampling and Carrie Fisher. I worked with Dave Prowse, who was Darth Vader. They were all lovely. I did most of the stars from the 60s, but I never did Elizabeth Taylor or Raquel Welch.

“I did Tim Curry, from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton and Adam Faith. We weren’t meant to do men’s haircuts but the wives used to send them to us.”

Rock gigs

It was at this point that Eric casually threw in that he used to run rock gigs at London’s iconic venues, the Red Cow and the Nashville.

He said:

“When the Bond Street salon closed, I thought I better do something else.”

When his parents became ill 20 years ago, he returned to North Yorkshire, where he now resides in a house in Thornthwaite.

Eric, who still has a house in London, said:

“I’m originally from Harrogate and my first job was at Peter Gotthard’s. Peter had the contacts at Vidal Sassoon.”

It was thanks to his work at Vidal Sassoon that he managed to get hold of some of his posters – many of which he got signed by the stars.

Signed posters

Eric said:

“I got Madonna’s, as I did her PA’s hair, Julie Andrews, Christopher Lee, the Reservoir Dogs cast. We’ve got a lot of signed posters.”

However, he has yet to have any celebrity clients visit the gallery, which he puts down to not advertising the venue. Eric said he wanted people to organically find it. He didn’t even want an online presence, but eventually caved due to frequent requests from customers.

Eric said:

“There’s no gallery outside of London like this. The aim is to bring people to Pateley Bridge.

“It’s working because people are talking. We’ve had people coming from as far as Jersey and Scotland.”

Andy Warhol

When asked to pick a favourite, he pointed out an Italian version of Andy Warhol’s Heat.

He said:

“It’s pure Andy Warhol and I bought that from Christie’s probably 40 years ago. It’s been over my bed for 30 years.”

The Italian version of Andy Warhol’s Heat.

David Hockney

He also showed me a rare 50-year-old film poster of A Bigger Splash, featuring one of David Hockney’s famous LA pool paintings, before casually dropping in that he used to hang around with the artist.

He laughed:

“I used to meet him in the clubs in Paris. I always thought he wasn’t quite on my level!”

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.

This month our MPs gave their thoughts on the partygate scandal as well as on Rishi Sunak’s wife’s tax affairs.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, 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 out on Mr Jones:

• On April 6, Mr Jones added his voice to the widespread disappointment that the area has not been awarded any money from the government’s Bus Back Better scheme.
• This month, the government launched controversial plans to send ‘illegal’ asylum seekers to Rwanda. On April 20, Mr Jones voted for an ammendment to the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill to enshrine this power in law.
• Mr Jones visited Harrogate’s job centre on April 13, where he posed for a photo with Aldi and Warner Hotels employees who were recruiting.
• On April 19 in Parliament, Mr Jones asked for more information about the controversial asylum seekers processing centre in Linton-on-Ouse. He asked: “When might it open? what is its capacity? and how many local jobs will be created?”
• Speaking in the Commons on April 21, Mr Jones backed an investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over “partygate”.
• Mr Jones has not updated his official website since January.
• During a Commons debate on April 26, Mr Jones responded to calls from some Labour MPs to bring trains into public ownership. Mr Jones said Labour “haven’t got a clue” and that rail travel has thrived since privatisation.
• On April 26, Mr Jones said it was ‘deeply disappointing’ that the Taliban in Afghanistan had suspended secondary school classes for girls.
• On April 27, Mr Jones voted in favour of the government’s Elections Bill, which aims to tackle election fraud.

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Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

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

• On April 8, Mr Smith defended Chancellor and fellow North Yorkshire MP Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy after she volunteered to pay more tax. He tweeted: “Not required in law but this is right decision. Both Rishi Sunak and Ashkata Murty have shown dedication to North Yorkshire & the United Kingdom over many years. Diversity of origin, background & roots is to be celebrated as is a v successful woman as well as a v successful man.”
• Mr Smith congratulated journalist and Grassington man Chris Mason on his appointment as the new BBC political editor. “Great news! Ermysted’s Grammar School old boys smashes it again!”
• Mr Smith voted in favour of a clause in the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill that commits the UK to receiving 10,000 refugees a year through official resettlement schemes.
• Mr Smith also voted to send ‘illegal’ asylum seekers abroad.
• On April 27, Mr Smith also voted in favour of the government’s Elections Bill.
• On April 28, the Ripon MP visited the city’s cathedral for a preview of an event that celebrates its founding in 1350. He said: “Flowers, light, sound – it has it all. Get along this weekend if you can.”

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

• On April 9, the MP announced he would be standing down at the next general election. He told the BBC he wanted to spend time on other interests after more than a decade in parliament.
• Mr Adams called criticism by Keir Starmer towards Rishi Sunak’s wife over her tax affairs “distasteful and desperate”.
• On April 12, the MP posted on his website that he welcomed a government ‘crackdown’ on fly tipping.
• On the same day, the MP praised Boris Johnson for his trip to Ukraine to meet president Zelensky. “Outstanding leadership from both men”, he tweeted.
• The MP hailed the government’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in Africa. He tweeted: “This plan will deter and prevent thousands of dangerous channel crossings organised by people smugglers who care not if their clients drown or not. If you think that is ‘inhumane and horrific’ there’s not much more I can add.”
• On April 12, Mr Adams said it was time to let Boris Johnson ‘get on with the job’ after being fined by the police for breaking lockdown rules.