On the road: Is the wind of change coming to Pateley Bridge?

This week, we have been reporting on voters' views on the general election across the district. This article, which collates the views of people in Pateley Bridge, is the third in the series. 

For the last 41 years, Pateley Bridge – best known for its quaint feel and booming agriculture – has been staunchly Conservative.

Since the inception of the Skipton and Ripon constituency in 1983, which the Nidderdale town falls into, it has been a safe seat for the Tories.

Prior to that, when the town was part of the Ripon constituency, it returned Conservative MPs permanently except for 217 days in 1973 when Liberal David Austick held the seat.

Conservative Julian Smith, who has held the seat for the last 14 years, recorded a landslide victory in the 2019 election – with a thumping 23,694 majority.

But the changed political climate has left the people of Pateley Bridge less than confident about another four years of Tory local dominance.

The town was last week flooded with tourists during last week's May half-term holiday when the Stray Ferret spoke to locals ahead of the upcoming general election on July 4.

Carol Harpham, who works at Yorkshire Born and Bread bakery on the High Street, said she has “no idea” who she will vote for this year:

Ms Harpham said she will vote on both national and local issues, which she believes should include improved traffic and transport provisions and cleaner rivers.

When we asked Ms Harpham what she feels should change locally, she replied:

Giving the highest score across the board, Ms Harpham rated the current government a 7 out of 10. 

‘The lesser of two evils’

George Collinson, who works as a barista at coffee shop Wildish, told the Stray Ferret he was “tired of all the cloaks and daggers”.

Speaking about Julian Smith, Mr Collison said:

Mr Collinson, who moved to Nidderdale last year from North Wales, also said he felt living in Wales was politically “much easier”, adding:

Mr Collison said public transport was “totally inaccessible” in Pateley Bridge, which can make the town “really isolating” for young people looking for jobs in Ripon or Harrogate.

He said housing – or the lack of it – was the most pertinent issue local people face:

He added he thinks it’s time the government was “more upfront” with the public.

“They should just take responsibility and listen”, he said.

Mr Collison rated the government a mere one of out of 10. Spoiler: his score did not turn out to be the lowest… 

‘They’re appalling’

We bumped into Mr Pateley Bridge – also known as Keith Tordoff – who stood as an independent in last month's York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.

Mr Tordoff was typically strident in his views:

Mr Tordoff said he’d prefer to vote for an independent candidate, as the two front-running parties were “so similar in what they say they’ll do anyway”.

When asked about the current government, he said:

He said the next government needed to prioritise opportunities for young people and healthcare provision and provide better support for the elderly and improved transport services in the rural areas.

Mr Tordoff originally rated the government at 0.5 out of 10. However, with the Stray Ferret only having whole numbers to hand, he made the reluctant decision to round up to a solid one. 

Beverly Jones, Nicki McCullum (pictured below) and Kate Nestor rated the government 0 out of 10 without hesitation. 

Judging by the people we spoke to, the Conservative seat could be less than secure this time around.

But, this is just a fraction of Pateley Bridge’s population – and anything can happen in a general election.