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08
Jun
Top Tory claims Harrogate hospital ‘furious’ with town’s Lib Dem MP
A senior Conservative has said staff at Harrogate hospital are “furious” at the town’s Liberal Democrat MP for claiming credit for securing funding to replace the building’s roof.
The hospital received £9.5 million from the NHS to tackle ‘crumbly concrete’, also known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, at the Lancaster Park Road site.
Demolition work began before Mr Gordon defeated the Conservative Andrew Jones to become Harrogate and Knaresborough MP on July 4 last year.
Councillor Michael Harrison who, represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on North Yorkshire Council and is the only local politician on leader Carl Les’ 10-person executive, asked Mr Gordon at a council meeting on Thursday (June 5):
We are all pleased to see those works progressing, but I’m slightly confused because the work to demolish the parts of the hospital with RAAC concrete started before the general election, so I’m confused why you were claiming credit for securing the funding for it when, in fairness, you didn’t have anything to do with that.
I actually spoke to people in the finance team at Harrogate who were furious that you took credit.
Tom Gordon at Harrogate District Hospital
Mr Gordon replied by accusing Cllr Harrison of an “inadvertent misrepresentation”. He said:
Lib Dems campaign all year round and I was campaigning well outside the general election period to running a campaign and petition to make sure that funding was secured so I think that’s an inadvertent misrepresentation that I didn’t do anything before by Cllr Harrison.
When I speak to people on the ground and the conversations we have, people felt the previous MP had been railroaded into campaigning on the issue and was campaigning on the narrative and the agenda we set, whether that be sewage, whether that be health and NHS.
Mr Gordon added he didn’t think the hospital “will appreciate being dragged into a council meeting like this”.
Cllr Harrison replied:
I was making the point that the works had already started. The funding was secured and the people I spoke to were furious so I don’t think that’s a misrepresentation.
Cllr Gibbs (left) alongside fellow Tory Cllr Harrison
Another Conservative, Cllr Sam Gibbs, asked Mr Gordon about a claim on his general election leaflets that a vote for the Lib Dems was a vote to reduce the cost of living to cut food and energy bills.
Cllr Gibbs said: “I just wanted to know how’s that going and what have you done?”
Mr Gordon replied that “there’s a general consensus that we operate and react to events as they happen which is exactly what we’ve been doing”.
He cited his calls to end the two-child cap on child benefits as an example, adding:
“One of the quickest ways we can alleviate poverty and childhood poverty would be using mechanisms like that which if that happens I’m sure Cllr Gibbs would love to give me credit for that.”
'I’ve been focused on delivering'
Mr Gordon was addressing councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on his first year in Parliament.
He said he had pressed ministers on NHS issues, led local and national opposition to tax hikes, including increases to National Insurance and the so-called ‘family farm tax’, opposed cuts to winter fuel payments and securing over £20 million in government funding for the redevelopment of Harrogate College.
He added he had campaigned on sewage in local rivers, raised money for Harrogate hospital and local charity, Open Country, by running the London and Paris marathons and his team had opened almost 8,000 cases from constituents.
Mr Gordon said:
When I stood for Parliament, I promised to be a visible, hardworking local MP who delivers — and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together over the last 11 months.
From securing millions for Harrogate College to standing up for our NHS, pushing for rail investment, and fighting for clean rivers and fairer taxes, I’ve been focused on delivering for our area.
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