Andrew Jones MP should be ‘shaking in his shoes’, says local Lib Dem leader

The leader of the local Liberal Democrats says Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Conservative MP Andrew Jones should be “shaking in his shoes” after a shock by-election result yesterday.

In Chesham and Amersham the Lib Dem Sarah Green overturned a 16,000-vote Conservative majority in a seat that has always voted Tory. It’s being described as being part of a “blue wall” in the south of England.

Cllr Pat Marsh told the Stray Ferret she was “delighted” with the result, which she said has given the local party hope that it can overcome a 9,000-vote majority in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election.

Like Harrogate and Knaresborough, the Buckinghamshire constituency has a reasonably affluent and older demographic.

Cllr Marsh said:

“It’s given us a positive boost. It’s shown us that it’s not impossible and it can be done. He can’t be complacent any more.”

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Mr Jones has won four general elections in Harrogate and Knaresborough and first took the seat in 2010. It was held by Liberal Democrat Phil Willis from 1997 until 2010.

In yesterday’s by-election, housing and planning concerns were cited as the biggest reason voters turned their backs on the Conservatives.

Cllr Marsh said she expects housing to be a factor for voters at the next election in Harrogate and Knaresborough, which is currently seeing an unprecedented growth in new build housing developments.

She said Mr Jones “doesn’t listen to people” when it comes to housing concerns:

“Central government has allowed developers free rein throughout this country. It’s had a devastating effect in parts of Harrogate.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones for a response, but he did not reply by the time of publication.

Conservatives enlist Andrew Jones MP to help fight Batley by-election

Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has been spotted in Batley campaigning for the Conservatives in the upcoming by-election.

The Batley & Spen by-election is being held after Labour’s Tracey Brabin stepped down to become the first Mayor of West Yorkshire.

A photo emerged on social media of Mr Jones eating fish and chips in the town alongside the Tory candidate Ryan Stevenson.

Current betting odds make Mr Stevenson favourite, ahead of the Labour candidate Kim Leadbetter who is the sister of the constituency’s former MP Jo Cox. She was murdered by a white supremacist in 2016.

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It appears Mr Jones was back in West Yorkshire over the weekend as the MP stopped for a selfie with a young Conservative activist.

A spokesperson for Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats said:

“It is disappointing that he prioritises Batley and Spen over dealing with important local issues.

“But he’s free to do this as long as he’s not doing it at the expense of the public purse.”

https://twitter.com/luca_s05/status/1403650019773792258?s=20

It’s not the first time in recent months that Mr Jones has been enlisted by his party to bolster support. He revealed in the House of Commons last month that he spent time knocking on doors in Hartlepool for the recent by-election there.

Political parties of all stripes often send in big hitters and high profile politicians during by-elections. The Guardian reported the Labour Party sent “dozens” of MPs to campaign in Hartlepool, which was won by the Conservatives.

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Jones for comment but he did not respond.

Andrew Jones MP ‘very sad’ to lose villages in boundary shake-up plan

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones says he will be “very sad” to lose just under 1,500 constituents under proposals for a major shake-up of parliamentary boundaries.

The Boundary Commission this week announced proposed changes to constituencies across the country as part of a review that aims to make Parliament fairer by giving each MP a roughly similar number of voters.

If approved, the changes could mean Harrogate and Knaresborough, which has been held by Conservative MP Andrew Jones since 2010, would lose 1,469 constituents with several villages north east of the towns falling under a new Wetherby and Easingwold parliamentary area.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Jones said: 

“The proposed boundaries are the subject of consultation now. Many MPs will see changes to the makeup of the constituencies they represent – some will see those constituencies abolished altogether.

“Whatever the outcome I will be very sad to no longer represent some parts of the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency should they be moved into another constituency.

“By the time these changes come into force MPs will have represented constituencies on the current boundaries for 15 years. That’s a long time and many great partnerships between individuals and community groups have been formed.”

The Boundary Commission carries out a review every five years and has put its proposals out for public consultation with a formal report to government expected by June 2023.

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If the proposed changes go through, they will only come into effect in late 2023, which could be too late for the next election if Prime Minister Boris Johnson decides to call it early.

Some MPs could find themselves with safer seats, while others will be more closely contested and some will disappear altogether.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

To put the potential loss of 1,469 constituents in Harrogate and Knaresborough into some context, Mr Jones won the 2019 general election by a margin of 9,675 votes, beating his closest rival Liberal Democrat Judith Rogerson.

Mr Jones added:

“The boundary commission always has a difficult job too but they do it independently of the politicians and that is entirely appropriate.

“The most important thing, whatever the new boundaries, is that those close ties between the community and their MP endure. I will do all I can to facilitate that strong working relationship between any part of the current Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and their new MP should the final boundary changes bring about such a change.”

Elsewhere, Conservative MP Julian Smith’s Skipton and Ripon constituency would engulf Ripley but lose other villages including Bishop Monkton and Burton Leonard under the initial proposals.

Selby and Ainsty, which is held by Conservative MP Nigel Adams and includes areas south of Harrogate, would also be reduced in size to only include Selby and its surrounding villages.

The initial proposals will now be subject to revisions and consultations, with the first set to run for eight weeks before closing on 2 August.

A second consultation with public hearings will then get under way in spring 2022, followed by a final four-week consultation on revised plans in autumn 2022.

Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency (proposed new electorate 72,850)

Council wards to be included:

Skipton and Ripon constituency (proposed new electorate 74,270)

Council wards to be included:

To view the current and proposed constituency boundaries in full go to bcereviews.org.uk

Harrogate and Knaresborough could be shrunk, under parliamentary boundary shake-up

The Harrogate and Knaresborough parliamentary constituency could be reduced in size, under proposals outlined today by the Boundary Commission for England.

Under the plans, Harrogate and Knaresborough’s electorate would be shrunk and areas, including Boroughbridge, would fall under a new constituency.

Harrogate and Knaresborough’s constituency would see its electorate fall from 74,319 to 72,850. The Conservative Andrew Jones currently holds the seat.

The commission has carried out a review of parliamentary seat boundaries and opened a public consultation.

Following further consultation next year, it will publish a final report on boundary changes in 2023.

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Under the current proposals, the number of constituencies in Yorkshire and Humber would remain at 54.

But Conservative Nigel Adams’ seat of Selby and Ainsty, which includes the south of Harrogate, would be scrapped.

How the current constituency boundaries look in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The current constituency boundaries in and around the Harrogate district.

Instead, Selby would have its own seat and the north of the district would fall under a new constituency called Wetherby and Easingwold, which would take in areas including Wetherby, Boroughbridge and Green Hammerton.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

A map of the new constituency and reduced Harrogate and Knaresborough seat under the Boundary Commission plans. Picture: Boundary Commission.

Kirby Hill and Bishop Monkton would become part of the new Wetherby and Easingwold seat.

The Skipton and Ripon constituency, which is currently represented by Conservative Julian Smith, would include Ripley, which is currently part of Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Tim Bowden, secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, said:

“Today’s proposals mark the first time people get to see what the new map of parliamentary constituencies might look like. But they are just the commission’s initial thoughts.

“Help us draw the line to make the number of electors in each parliamentary constituency more equal.

“Each constituency we recommend is required by law to contain between 69,724 and 77,062 electors, meaning there will be significant change to current boundaries.

“We want to hear the views of the public to ensure that we get the new boundaries for parliamentary constituencies right.”

The review will increase the number of constituencies in England from 533 to 543.

Just under 10% of existing seats remain unchanged as part of the proposals.

Members of the public can have their say on the proposals as part of an eight-week public consultation on the Boundary Commission for England website.

The consultation will close on August 2.

MPs watch: Timid flowers, Eurovision and Knaresborough banks

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.

In May, lockdown restrictions eased again and life in the district slowly began to return back to normal.

We asked 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 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.

Andrew Jones, Conservative Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton.

 

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

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

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

Hundreds attend free war graves tours at Harrogate’s Stonefall cemetery

Tours were held throughout the day at Stonefall cemetery in Harrogate yesterday as part of the first war graves week, which was organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Stonefall, which has more than 1,000 graves, is one of the largest war grave sites in northern England and one of only five directly maintained by the commission. About two-thirds of the dead are Canadian.

The cemetery was created in 1914 but most burials are airmen who died during the Second World War when bomber command bases were established in Yorkshire.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Lieutenant colonel Simon Farebrother, commanding officer of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, Harrogate mayor Trevor Chapman and Johanna Ropner, the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire were among those attending the tours.

They heard the stories of some of the dead, including Isikeli Komaisavai, 24, believed to be the only Fijian who flew with the British Royal Air Force and two 17-year-old Canadians who lost their lives.

War graves week gave those unable to travel to burial sites in Flanders and Normandy because of covid the opportunity to discover the war heritage on their doorsteps.

It is hoped it will become an annual event.

The commission, which is funded by governments in six Commonwealth countries, maintains more than 12,500 war grave sites in virtually every town and city in the UK.

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To coincide with the week, it launched a postcode search function to enable people to search online for more than 4,000 war dead. It is available here.

Claire Horton, director general of the commission, said:

“By simply entering your postcode on our website you can take the first step towards making a new connection.

“We want people to share the stories they find and download a tribute for the men and women from their communities and display it in their window for War Graves Week.”

Ms Ropner said:

“I would encourage everyone to find out more about the men and women commemorated by CWGC here at Stonefall and indeed around the world.”

Tories and Lib Dems in leaflet row as Bilton by-election hots up

A political row has broken out after a Liberal Democrat campaign leaflet accused the Conservatives of “hypocrisy” and “tricking” voters ahead of the Bilton by-election.

Voters will go the polls tomorrow to elect a new county councillor in the marginal Bilton and Nidd Gorge division.

Andrew Kempston-Parkes, the Liberal Democrat candidate, has distributed two leaflets to residents that make several claims about the proposed Knox Lane housing development.

Housing developer Jomast is behind the proposals, which would see 73 homes built on a green field in Bilton.

The development is still to go before Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning committee, when 12 councillors will vote on the plans.

However, the site is allocated for 52 potential homes in Harrogate district Local Plan, which sets out where development will occur in the district until 2035.

Cllr Matt Scott, who is standing for the Conservatives in Bilton and is a current HBC councillor, voted for the Local Plan before it was adopted in March 2020.

In the leaflet, Mr Kempston-Parkes claims the “Conservatives pretend to oppose the Knox Lane development while secretly voting for it”.

In another leaflet, he alleges the Conservative-run council proposed the development.

The Liberal Democrat leaflet

 

The second Liberal Democrat leaflet

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In response, Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones MP intervened with a leaflet of his own.

It called the Liberal Democrat literature “grossly misleading” and said he was “disturbed” by some of the claims made.

He said:

“I like to see positive and constructive campaigns based on a record of local action. I don’t approve of US-style attack-ad politics.”

Andrew Jones’ leaflet

Cllr Matt Scott told the Stray Ferret he was a long-term critic of the Knox Lane development.

He said:

“To imply that I support the planning application for this site is wrong. My objection is on Harrogate council’s website. I am the only candidate in this election to have submitted an objection. 

“I work with Cllr Paul Haslam who, as the borough councillor for Old Bilton, has with residents raised over £3,000 to commission reports opposing this application as well as submitting his own 10,000 word objection which I support.  This has been our long-term position. The application has not come to committee yet so it is incorrect to claim that anyone has voted for or against it”.

In response, Andrew Kempston-Parkes said: “We stand by the leaflet”.

He added:

“Matt Scott had the opportunity to vote against the Local Plan but decided to vote for it anyway.”

The Bilton and Nidd Gorge election follows the death of Liberal Democrat Geoff Webber.

It is the only local council election taking place in the Harrogate district tomorrow.

Andrew Jones urges care minister to ease ‘restrictive’ outdoor guidance

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones has urged care minister Helen Whately to review care home guidance on outdoor trips.

The guidance says residents that leave homes must isolate for 14 day except for medical appointments or exceptional circumstances.

It has been widely criticised nationally and locally, including by care home residents, the Bishop of Ripon and the director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council.

Nick Moxon, 32, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road, Harrogate last week told the Stray Ferret he feels “trapped” and “treated like a lesser being” because of the guidance.

Now Mr Jones has described it as “too restrictive and not in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our care home residents” and urged Whately to act.

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Mr Jones revealed the news not on his official website but on Community News, a website he runs featuring local Conservatives.

He said “slow but positive improvements” meant care home residents could now receive two nominated visitors and hold hands with them

But he added the same could not be said for outdoors visits, which particularly impacted younger care home residents:

“New guidance says that when they leave their homes for any reason, as they often do to exercise in the fresh air, they must self-isolate for 14 days thereafter. This is said to be necessary to keep other residents safe.

“Whilst I support the government’s motive, this is undoubtedly too restrictive and not in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our care home residents.

“I have written to the Minister for Care, Helen Whately, to ask for the guidance to be reassessed and reconsidered and I hope this will be acted upon quickly.”

 

 

Andrew Jones MP: Vaccine passports ‘extremely problematic’

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones MP has spoken out against vaccine passports, calling them “extremely problematic”.

The government is considering whether to introduce the passports to enable people who have proved their covid-free status to travel abroad and reduce social distancing measures.

On his website, Mr Jones has published a response to constituents who have messaged him on the subject.

He said he “understands the depth of feeling” on the issue, adding:

“I do understand the points that you and others make and I think vaccine passports are extremely problematic.

“There will be people who do not want a vaccine for religious or cultural reasons. Some may deride this but it should be a consideration when the government looks at the issue.

“Others may not be able to have the vaccine because of health conditions; we need to ensure these people can return to a normal life too. There are still of course millions of people aged 50 and over who have not yet received a jab.”

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Some Labour and Conservative MPs have expressed concerns about the impact of vaccine passports on civil liberties.

A petition calling on the government to scrap the idea has over 300,000 signatures.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is in charge of a Whitehall study into how coronavirus passports could work in the UK.

Harrogate MP backs outdoor dining on the Stray campaign

Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP has thrown his weight behind a campaign for outdoor dining to return to the Stray.

Andrew Jones MP met Sharon and Simon Colgan, owners of the Blues Bar and The Empress, as well Trish Campbell, bar manager at The Empress, today.

While Mr Jones refused to speak to the Stray Ferret during or after the meeting, the bar owners said that he supported their campaign.

Harrogate Borough Council recently told the Blues Bar, The Empress and Fashion House Bistro that they cannot use tables and chairs on the Stray this year.

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The council did approve the measure last year but said after consulting with land owners the Duchy of Lancaster that it “would not be appropriate at this stage.”

Part of the reason the council gave was that it could “potentially inhibit the open access and enjoyment for all.”

Simon Colgan, co owner of The Empress and Blues Bar, told the Stray Ferret after his meeting with Mr Jones:

“Mr Jones seemed dumbfounded that it wasn’t rolling out again.

“He told us he would look into the council’s response, consult the Duchy of Lancaster and its chancellor Michael Gove.

“That is very positive isn’t it? It is great he did not dismiss us. We just want exactly the same as we had last year, there’s no reason not to do it again.

“We did press him and said time was of the essence, we do not want to miss out on this sun. When you go into town you can see there’s an appetite for it.”