Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
08
Jun
What did Andrew Jones achieve as Harrogate and Knaresborough MP?
Conservative Andrew Jones will be seeking re-election for a fifth time in Harrogate and Knaresborough in three weeks’ time.
The 60-year-old has been MP for the constituency for 14 years.
In that time, he has weighed in on issues such as NHS dentistry, bathing water status of the River Nidd and local transport.
The Stray Ferret has analysed Mr Jones’ involvement in some local issues.
Nidd bathing water
The bathing water status over the lido on the River Nidd in Knaresborough has been a political hot topic this year.
Mr Jones launched his own campaign to designate the area of the Nidd for bathing water status in earnest in 2022, alongside organisations such as the Nidd Action Group.
The move was met with criticism, as Mr Jones’ political opponents pointed out his own government’s record on the environment – in particular sewage disposals into rivers.
In fact, a review of his voting record in the House of Commons shows that Mr Jones himself has generally voted against measures to improve water quality.
In 2021, he voted not to require public authorities to take preventative action to avert damage and against requiring polluters to pay for rectifying the damage they have caused.
Later the same year, he voted against requiring improved sewerage systems and against requiring a reduction in the harm caused by untreated sewage discharges.
But the Harrogate MP dismissed this in an interview with the Stray Ferret in May last year when he pointed out that “political blame” would not solve water-quality in the Nidd.
Regardless, Mr Jones submitted an application for bathing water status which was approved earlier this year.
He has since gone onto to use the success as part of his re-election campaign.
NHS dentistry
Perhaps one of the most pressing issues for people in Harrogate and Knaresborough is the lack of NHS dentists in the constituency area.
The Stray Ferret has reported extensively on the problem since we were founded in 2020.
The matter has also not escaped the attention of Mr Jones, who in September 2023 pledged to take the matter to the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
Later the same month, Mr Jones asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the problem at Prime Minister’s Question Time.
But the problem was compounded in a matter of months when two dentists handed back their NHS contracts. It led the Harrogate MP to raise the matter again in parliament in February during a debate on dentistry.
The Stray Ferret has found that just one dentist in Knaresborough is currently accepting new patients and just two in Harrogate are only taking on those aged 17 and under.
In response to increasing pressure on dental practices, the government pledged to invest £200 million in dentistry as part of its dental care recovery plan in February 2024.
It remains to be seen whether the investment will show a tangible improvement.
Transport
Arguably Mr Jones' strongest suit, transport has been a major area of interest during his four terms in parliament.
As a minister at the Department for Transport between 2015 and 2019, he was an advocate of government policies such as HS2 and smart motorways.
The latter has proved a controversial topic due to public confidence in the safety of the technology employed on major motorways.
Despite being an advocate of the technology, in January 2022 Mr Jones welcomed the government’s decision to pause any further implementation of smart motorways until further safety data was available. The government later removed any new smart motorways from its road building plans.
Mr Jones helped get rid of the old Pacer trains and worked for the introduction of multiple daily London services on LNER’s new Azuma trains.
He has gone on to include some transport-related achievements in his campaign to be re-elected to parliament.
These include changing the law to ensure taxis may not charge more to take wheelchairs, and steering the Bus Services Act through parliament, which introduced audio announcements for visually impaired passengers.
He also launched a low-emissions bus scheme and supported Harrogate Bus Company in turning its bus fleet fully electric – an outcome he says he takes great pride in.
Andrew Jones' response
When the Stray Ferret approached Mr Jones’ office about what he believes he has achieved while MP, transport was one area which he raised.
Mr Jones said:
Since first being elected in 2010 I have consistently worked to make our area an even better place to live, work, invest or visit. I have taken great pride and satisfaction in helping to turn around the lives of individual constituents as well as working on major projects such as transport upgrades and the rollout of superfast broadband.
One area where local and national work has crossed over in a positive way is how my time as a minister in the Department for Transport improved our local train services. I saw off the Pacers and brought multiple daily London services on LNER’s new Azuma trains. This upgrade also ensured the rolling stock serving Knaresborough and Harrogate was much more accessible for people with a disability.
The theme of accessibility was always at the forefront of my work when it came to road and rail transport. I changed the law to ensure taxis could not charge more to take wheelchairs and steered the Bus Services Act through parliament which introduced audio announcements for visually impaired passengers. At the same time I also launched a low-emissions bus scheme and have supported local work which will shortly see the Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet, including the 36, become fully electric.
I believe MPs should bring people together to ensure the best possible outcomes. The rollout of electric buses is one example of that though there are several others to which I can point and in which I take great pride. Since 2010 Harrogate High School has been rebuilt and Harrogate College will soon start work on a new campus so it can teach the skills of the future.
Mr Jones added that he also had working with the NHS to eradicate RAAC from Harrogate hospital and lobbying the treasury to remove alcohol duty from local distillers.
On the River Nidd bathing water status, he said:
More recently I have led the successful bid for bathing water status for the Knaresborough Lido. This brought together the Nidd Action Group, several local wild swimming groups and lots of volunteers to do the hard yards in preparing the bid. It was the only bid led by an MP. The Environment Agency will monitor the river while Yorkshire Water have announced over £7bn to invest in cleaning up waterways across our region. Like many local and national initiatives in which I have been involved, such as the successful National Lottery bid to expand the Staveley Nature Reserve, the move to zero-emissions buses and balsam-bashing in the Pinewoods, this was about protecting our environment and ensuring the local community was at the heart of it.
When I became an MP only seven per cent of storm overflows were monitored. That figure is now 100 per cent which means better information on where problems occur and more targeted action to address them. Sewage entering waterways is not a new practice though I am proud to have led a local project to reduce it and support the Government’s £60bn plan to tackle the issue nationwide.
I have also been lobbying the newly formed North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) on their NHS dentistry provision. When two local practices ended their NHS contracts I worked with the ICB to ensure the funding stayed locally and worked with the NHS to help patients continue that NHS dental care. I continue to campaign for a centre of dental excellence in Harrogate and met twice with the responsible minister ahead of the publication of the Dental Recovery Plan.
I have lived in the centre of Harrogate since the 1990s, never held a second job as an MP and have never had any staff in Westminster. My mantra is keep it local and my record is one of delivery. I am here to be an agent of that delivery – not simply a commentator.
0