Andrew Jones Archives - Page 19 of 22

MPs watch: lockdown three and hopes for the vaccine

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 January the third national lockdown has dominated life in the district, with non-essential retail and hospitality closing and the majority of school children now being taught from home.

We asked Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP 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.

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

On January 13, Mr Jones revealed on his website that he had visited the Great Yorkshire Showground to check on progress with the vaccination programme. At that point, he said the site had vaccinated over 3,000 people at a rate between 125 and 135 people per hour.
Writing on his website later in January, he called the latest lockdown the one “nobody wanted”. However, he said the vaccines now provide “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Mr Jones was contacted by a constituent in Knaresborough who told him that she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days. ‘This simply isn’t good enough,’ the MP wrote on his website.
At a Commons debate on the Financial Services Bill on January 13, Mr Jones spoke about the cycle of debt that some constituents become trapped in. He said debt is “sometimes very easy to get into and very hard to break out of.”
He voted in favour of the ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill that gives protection to police or MI5 agents working undercover to commit criminal acts “where it is necessary and appropriate”.
On January 26, Mr Jones voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill to enshrine air pollution limits in law.
Mr Jones met virtually with fellow MPs and figures from the rail industry as part of his role as co-chair of the Transport Across the North APPG.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority published its latest annual report of MPs expenses which revealed that in 2019/20, Mr Jones spent £174,597.97 on accommodation, office, staffing, staff absence, travel and other costs.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

The Ripon MP was appointed an external advisor to a green energy company at a rate of between £1,000 and £2,000 per hour. It’s the second lucrative advisory position he has taken in a year. Both companies have ties to Ireland, where Mr Smith spent time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2019/20.
Mr Smith tweeted 13 times in January, including a tweet that marked a year since he helped to broker a historic power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland.
He retweeted celebrity PE teacher Joe Wicks announcing his return to YouTube.
He also voted in line with the government on its controversial ‘authorisation of criminal conduct’ clause in the Criminal Conduct Bill.
The expenses report revealed Mr Smith spent £170,235.42 last year.
Mr Smith was interviewed on the BBC’s Today Programme on Saturday criticising the EU’s decision (and then retraction) to over-ride the Brexit Northern Ireland border deal and create checks on vaccine’s coming into the UK. Mr Smith called the act “almost Trumpian”.

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

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

The MP hit out at the Yorkshire Post for running a story about vaccines from Yorkshire being redistributed to the south of England. He tweeted that the story was “irresponsible and sad”. In a public row with a number of conservative MPs on the report, the paper’s Editor robustly defended the story.
The expenses report revealed Mr Adams spent £191,616.52 last year, the most of our three MPs.
He tweeted 16 times in January, including a screenshot that revealed he walked 24,101 steps in one day.
A big sports fan, Mr Adams hailed the England cricket team’s series win over Sri Lanka.
The minister for Asia called on the Hong Kong authorities to “end their targeting of pro-democracy voices.”

52,500 clinically vulnerable people vaccinated in North Yorkshire, says Harrogate MP

52,500 people in the highest priority groups have received a covid vaccine in York and North Yorkshire, according to Harrogate’s MP.

In an e-mail to constituents, Andrew Jones said a further 12,000 vaccinations had also been carried out in hospitals to frontline staff.

Mr Jones said the figures were correct as of Monday this week.

It comes as health bosses said all care home residents and staff in the county would be vaccinated by the end of this week.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire CCG, told a North Yorkshire Resilience Forum meeting earlier this week:

“I am pleased to say that thanks to the tremendous effort from all of our colleagues delivering the vaccination programme, we are on course to deliver vaccination to all care home residents and staff by the end of this week.”

Ms Bloor added that officials were making “good progress” towards vaccinating all healthcare workers by the end of the month as well as the February 15 target set by the government for all priority groups.

Vaccinations in the Harrogate district are being administered at the Great Yorkshire Showground. However, a mass vaccination hub opened on Monday in York, which offers jabs to those within a 45 minute distance.

Health bosses announced a vaccination site will be opened in Ripon, but details on its location have yet to be confirmed.

Officials have also said people in the district can wait for an invite to the Great Yorkshire Showground instead of travelling to York.

MP hits out at covid vaccine supply reports

Mr Jones also hit out at reports that the supply of coronavirus vaccines to Yorkshire will be halved next week.

In his email, he addressed “covid-19 fake news” and went on to say a story regarding vaccine supply “was wrong”.

It follows reports in the Health Service Journal that the North East and Yorkshire will see its supply halved next week because it is ahead of other regions in vaccinating its eligible population.

The HSJ reported that the region is set to see does available to GP-led sites down by 200,000 compared to this week.

Mr Jones has said reports of the halve in supply are “wrong in terms of numbers and trend”.

He said:

“Reports that the number of vaccines supplied to our region are being halved are just wrong.

“I have checked this with the NHS and the number of vaccines supplied to our region this week is 364,000, next week it will be 300,000 and the week after that 350,000.

“The story is wrong in terms of numbers and trend.”

However, Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care at NHS England, told BBC Radio 4 Today programme that vaccines were being diverted away from areas like the North East and Yorkshire.

She said:

“Yes I really understand my colleague’s frustration, particularly in this case it happens to be in the northern areas, they’ve done an incredible job getting through their cohort priorities one and two, so their care home staff and residents, their over 80s and their health and social care staff.

“And so while we have a supply that is constrained we need to make sure that goes to the areas where people are not vaccinated, because what we have to do, our priority is to make sure that the top priority groups are vaccinated as quickly as possible.

“So we need to target our deliveries to make sure that they are going to areas where there are more people left to vaccinate in the priority cohorts.”

Harrogate district MPs claim £536,000 in expenses last year

The Members of Parliament serving the Harrogate district claimed a total of £536,449 in expenses last year.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which monitors expenses, published its annual report yesterday.

The report reveals the total expenses for all MPs in 2019/20, including accommodation, office, staffing, staff absence, travel and other costs.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate, spent the most of the t hree district MPs with an overall spend of £191,616.52.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, spent £174,597.97 and Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, spent £170,235.42.

All MPs were within their budgets set for office, staffing and accommodation spend.

Of all MPs in Parliament in 2019/20, Mr Adams ranked 294th of those who spent the most while Mr Jones was 389th and Mr Smith 496th.

Roger Godsiff, who was MP for Birmingham Hall Green until he lost his seat at the 2019 General Election spent the most with £265,668.31. Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside, claimed the least with £7,391.51.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP Harrogate and Knaresborough

Office spend – £20,761.73
Staffing spend – £145,085.64
Accommodation spend – £1,457
Travel and subsistence spend – £7,293.60

Julian Smith, Conservative MP Ripon and Skipton

Office spend – £12,564.65
Staffing spend – £151,729.18
Accommodation spend – £2,540.57
Travel and subsistence spend – £3,226.02
Other costs – £175

Nigel Adams, Conservative MP Selby and Ainsty (which includes rural Harrogate)

Office spend – £9,823.58
Staffing spend – £127,512.06
Staff absence spend – £21,523.51
Accommodation spend – £21,990.74
Travel and subsistence spend – £10,766.63

Andrew Jones MP ‘shocked’ by ‘inadequate’ free school meals

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has spoken of his “shock” at the inadequacy of free school meals and called for urgent action.

A constituent in Knaresborough told Mr Jones she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days.

The Conservative MP said on his website this “simply isn’t good enough” and that he would ask children’s minister, Vicky Ford to investigate the issue “as a matter of urgency”. He added:

“There are reports that the companies distributing this food have been paid £30 for a week’s food but you could buy what my constituent received for a few pounds. Fortunately my constituent can manage this week but that isn’t the point.

“Surely it would have been better and cheaper to give parents a loaf of bread and the ingredients to make their own sandwiches rather than send supermarket pre-packs? It would have been more nutritious too.

“What has been sent seems to me to be completely inadequate. Whichever companies are being used to supply the meals need to buck their ideas up and do it pronto.”

Mr Jones voted against free school meals last year and his comments have drawn criticism from political opponents.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats tweeted:

“We were shocked that he voted against giving free meals to low income kids in the first place.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party tweeted:

“Ten days worth of food costing £30! Cronyism in all its glory, profiteering from poverty and neglecting the very children that need to receive healthy, substantial food! Let’s hear our MP justify this!”

MPs watch 2020: the year of coronavirus, Brexit and free school meals

Each month the Stray Ferret tracks what the three MPs in the Harrogate district have been up to in Parliament and their constituencies.

As this is the last month of the year, this time we have provided a round-up of the activities of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams throughout 2020.

The district’s three elected Conservative representatives in the House of Commons have a combined 30 years’ experience as MPs but nothing could have prepared them for 2020 and the arrival of coronavirus.

As always, we asked all three if they would like to highlight anything in particular. Once again, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here are some of the key moments from Mr Jones’s year:

Fresh from a fourth straight general election victory, Mr Jones began the year by speaking out on his website against what he described as the toxic nature of modern political campaigning. He wrote: “Politics needs to grow up and step away from this old-fashioned and frankly US-style attack ad approach. I hope over the next few years – at least locally – there will be agreement to adopt a more positive approach.”
In April, at the height of the first lockdown, Mr Jones warned constituents about the dangers of covid: “This virus doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor, by race, by religion, by nationality, by gender or sexuality or by political allegiances.”
One of Mr Jones’s nine tweets in June was that he found some car keys near to Tewit Well in Harrogate.
On his website in June, Mr Jones wrote to the head of Bauer Media to “seek assurances” about the future of Stray FM. The radio station rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio in September.
On August 2, Mr Jones hailed Harrogate Town’s win at Wembley as “the best news in ages”. He also tweeted about Notts County’s non-existent equaliser, which was quickly deleted. This led to the Stray Ferret’s Paul Baverstock suggesting that Mr Jones might not have been actually watching the game.
Mr Jones released a statement apologising for the government’s u-turn over A-Level results. He said: “I am sorry for the distress and uncertainty this has caused pupils. In all about 20 students contacted me personally and I am writing to each of them”.
Mr Jones refused to comment on a Stray Ferret story involving a police investigation into allegations of missing Porsche sports cars from GMUND in Knaresborough. The company was run by Andrew Mearns, while his wife Cllr Samantha Mearns was a company secretary until late 2018 and is now a caseworker in Mr Jones’s office.
At Prime Minister’s Questions in October, the MP urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to commit to a support package for the conference and exhibition industry.
In October, Mr Jones voted against an opposition motion to extend the provision of £15-a-week school meal vouchers throughout the October half term through to the Easter 2021 holidays. Following a backlash, Mr Jones responded in the local press and in a local Conservative news bulletin email. The email said: “I know that many of you will have seen the coverage about free school meals during the holidays in the news lately. I hope that people who know me, or who have been helped by me, would realise that I would not vote to increase child hunger or ensure children starve.”
Mr Jones said on October 20 “a blanket national lockdown is wrong and local interventions are what we need now to tackle this crisis”. On November 2 he voted in favour of a new national lockdown.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Ripon, here are some of the key moments from Mr Smith’s year:

In February, Mr Smith was sacked as Northern Ireland secretary. Despite lasting just 204 days in the role, he was widely praised for his work, including brokering talks between rival political parties to restore a power-sharing government at Stormont.
In May, the MP contacted the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, offering support after she received death threats for speaking out over Dominic Cummings’ decision to travel with symptoms of covid-19, against government advice.
In July, Mr Smith voted against protecting the NHS in a future trade deal with the US. Unlike Mr Jones, he wrote to the Stray Ferret to explain why he voted this way. He said: “No future trade agreement will be allowed to undermine the guiding principle of the NHS.”
Throughout the year, Mr Smith has raised residents’ concerns about the 1,300-home Ripon barracks development to local health leaders and Harrogate Borough Council officials, including chief executive Wallace Sampson.
The Stray Ferret revealed in August that Mr Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a hydrogen company at a rate of £3,000 per hour.
In September, he abstained on both Internal Markets Bill votes, which related to Brexit. Opponents of the bill said it could lead to a trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
That month, the MP visited Ripon Cathedral to view its new £6m design plans, which include new toilets, a cafe and the creation of rehearsal space for Ripon Cathedral Choir.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural parts of the Harrogate district.

In rural south Harrogate, here are some of the key moments from Mr Adams’s year:

The arch Brexiteer celebrated January 31 when the UK left the European Union. He wrote on Facebook: “Today is a historic day but tomorrow, the work to take our country forward continues with renewed enthusiasm.”
In April, the MP offered his “thoughts and prayers” to prime minister Boris Johnson, who was in hospital with coronavirus. He wrote: “The Boris I know is a fighter and will defeat this.”
In July, Mr Adams hit out at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying he had an “obsession” with undermining the Brexit vote.
In September, he criticised environmental group Extinction Rebellion after it blocked vehicles from leaving a printing press in London, causing disruption to several national newspapers. He called the group “socialist anarchists masquerading as well-meaning hippies”.
In October, Mr Adams voted against the amendment to the Agriculture Bill. In a post on his website, he defended his decision. He said: “Several people have been in touch who appear to have been misled into thinking that Tuesday’s vote on the Agriculture Bill was somehow a vote against our high food standards. This is not the case. In fact, the amendment to the bill which was defeated was well meaning but I believe unnecessary as well as having some negative unintended consequences.”
Ahead of a planning committee hearing into 72 homes in Spofforth in November, Mr Adams’s office confirmed to the Stray Ferret that he had made representations to councillors ahead of their decision, which was ultimately to refuse the plans in their current form.

‘Show patience’ on covid turnaround, says Andrew Jones MP

Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said people must “show patience” before the UK turns the corner on coronavirus.

Reflecting on the year on his website, Mr Jones said many people would be glad to see the back of 2020.

But he added we “can be certain life will slowly return to normal” due to vaccinations and improved care for severe cases of covid although it will take “some time.”

Mr Jones wrote:

“As we quietly move into the new year we must show patience and further restraint as that process takes place.”

Coronavirus vaccines began at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground on Tuesday. People aged over 80, care home residents and care home staff were first in line.

It is believed about 900 vaccines a day are being given although the NHS has yet to reveal figures.

In further reflections on 2020, the Conservative MP praised the public, private and voluntary sectors for rallying together during a year like no other.

He wrote:

“We didn’t need a pandemic to know how brilliant our public services are but it was a very powerful reminder.

“We have though learnt some things about ourselves and one another which I hope we can carry through into 2021 and beyond. And we have also learnt lessons that reinforce that which we already know but perhaps didn’t recognise enough.

“Community matters. We looked out for our neighbours who were elderly or less well than us. We got in touch with support organisations to volunteer our services. Street-based groups sprang up to help those around them.”

Andrew Jones MP calls for HS2 work to start in Yorkshire

Andrew Jones MP asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson today if the government would consider starting construction of the Birmingham to Leeds section of HS2 in Yorkshire.

Mr Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said starting work on the high speed rail link in the north would be “good for jobs, connectivity to the Midlands and help drive up the levelling up agenda”.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Jones began by hailing the 60th anniversary of TV soap Coronation Street, calling it “an amazing landmark, so congratulations to it”.

He then added that infrastructure promises for the north had gone on for “just as long”.

Mr Johnson praised Mr Jones, a former rail minister, as a “big expert in this field and a great campaigner for transport”.

However, he stopped short of agreeing to his request. He said:

“I’ve asked the National Infrastructure Commission and Network Rail to look at how the eastern leg of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail can boost the economy for the north.”

Construction work for phase 1 of the high speed rail link, from London to Birmingham, began in September.

Work on the 198 kilometre second leg from Birmingham to Leeds has yet to begin. It is estimated to be completed between 2035 and 2040.

Plans for the Birmingham to Leeds section have been paused while the government draws up an integrated rail plan for the north and Midlands. The plan was expected before the end of 2020.

This pause raised questions about the future of the route, with former Labour transport minister Andrew Adonis tweeting in October that the eastern leg will “probably not now go ahead”.

MPs watch: November – a month of lockdown

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.

On November 4, our three MPs voted in favour of a month-long lockdown for England, which has dominated life in the district ever since.

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 on Mr Jones:

On November 4, Mr Jones voted to bring in a one-month lockdown in England. Two weeks prior to the vote, Mr Jones asked Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, whether a blanket national lockdown was wrong. Mr Hancock agreed that it was.
MPs will vote again tomorrow to end the lockdown and move into a tiered system to tackle coronavirus.
Mr Jones intervened to help overturn parking fines at St James’s Retail Park in Knaresborough. Motorists received fines from management company, HX Car Park Management Ltd, after parking in bays that did not have the usual barriers, markings or shelter.
Posting on his website, Mr Jones hailed the latest out-of-work benefit figures for Harrogate, which fell by almost 300.
He welcomed government funding of over £400,000 to 20 local charities.
He did not tweet in November as his account is now set to “retweets only”. He does not have a Facebook page.
Mr Jones was busy in the House of Commons, speaking 21 times.
On November 12 in the House of Commons, the MP asked what the government has planned for the Queen’s platinum jubilee in 2022. He said: “In the long history of our nation’s monarchs, Her Majesty is one of the greatest ever, and her platinum jubilee will be a significant and wonderful moment”.
In the House of Commons, Mr Jones said King James’s secondary school in Knaresborough was spending £7,000 a week on covid costs.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

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

Like Mr Jones, Mr Smith voted in line with the government to bring in a lockdown on November 4. There were 35 Tory rebels.
Mr Smith was in Ripon on Remembrance Sunday to lay a wreath.
Mr Smith tweeted 20 times in November.
The former Northern Ireland secretary tweeted that the election of Joe Biden as US President was “great news” for the country. He said the Democrat Party “consistently stand up for the protection of all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement.”
Mr Smith spoke once in Parliament. On the issue of care home visits, he asked the Prime Minister to look into things like the idea of a designated family member who would be tested regularly and able to visit.
On November 24, the MP posted a response from Harrogate Borough Council’s chief executive Wallace Sampson regarding the Ripon Barracks housing development. Mr Sampson said senior councillors are encouraging Homes England, who is developing the site, to “frontload the delivery” of junction improvements.
On November 2, Mr Smith issued a press release welcoming the government’s promise that Parliament scrutinises each new post-Brexit free trade for its impact on animal welfare and British farming before it’s ratified.
The MP for Ripon said he is supporting property owners and tenants in their call for urgent action over homes in danger of collapse in the city.

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

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

The minister for Asia also voted in line with the government for the national lockdown.
He tweeted 24 times in November, including paying his respects to footballers Diego Maradona and Ray Clemence who both died.
Ahead of a planning committee hearing into 72 homes in Spofforth, Mr Adams’ office confirmed to the Stray Ferret that he had made representations to councillors ahead of their decision, which was to ultimately refuse the plans.
At the beginning of the month, he retweeted a picture from HBC councillor Andy Paraskos showing the village of Cattal flooded.
In various written answers to MPs, he said the government has raised human rights issues with different countries – including the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar and the persecution of religious groups in China.

Civic Society opposes bid to convert Harrogate’s former post office

Harrogate Civic Society is to oppose plans to convert the town’s former post office into offices and 25 flats.

Post Office Ltd wants to add a fourth floor on to the three-storey sandstone terraced building, which closed last year after more than 100 years as a post office.

The society, which is a charity that aims to keep Harrogate beautiful, said in a statement it welcomed the principle of redeveloping the site into a mixed-use facility but added:

“We are, however, concerned about the impact of an additional floor to this building in the conservation area, as the proposal does not address the whole of the building as originally designed.

“The appearance of the new floor results in a design solution which is not fully considered or refined and therefore does not enhance the existing roofscape in its present form.”

Property development company One Acre Group has submitted plans on behalf of Post Office Ltd to Harrogate Borough Council to convert the building. If approved, work could start in the summer.

The post office controversially relocated to WH Smith last year amid claims by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones the service was being “downgraded”.

The society said the application would encourage retail and make the area more vibrant. It added:

“We support the principle of re-use of vacant upper floors in the town centre for residential purposes.

“We believe this concept should be encouraged and developed in all areas of the town centre so that buildings and streets as a whole appear to have life at all times.”

But the organisation said it was “concerned about the relationship of the proposed extension to the existing buildings along Cambridge Terrace”, adding:

“The society is of the opinion that the developer’s proposal as it stands should be resisted.”

Reprieve for shoppers fined at Knaresborough retail park

Shoppers at a retail park in Knaresborough who were fined for parking in unmarked trolley bays are to have their penalty notices written off.

People using St James Retail Park received fines from management company, HX Car Park Management Ltd, after parking in bays that did not have the usual barriers, markings or shelter.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, wrote to the company following complaints from angry constituents.

Now the company has said all appeals will be accepted and markings will be put in place to distinguish the bays from parking spaces.

In a letter to Mr Jones, the company said:

“As we only recently began issuing tickets through a self-ticketer, our client received a high volume of complaints due to drivers parking here previously and not being issued a penalty charge notice.

“Consequently, our client requested that all appeals be accepted and no further tickets issued until markings have been put in place to state ‘no parking’.”

The Stray Ferret contacted HX Car Park Management Ltd for further comment, but did not receive a response.

In a post on his website, Mr Jones said he welcomed the move from the company to waive the fines.

He said:

“I was pleased to help several constituents with their appeals. Thanks to the parking management company for being sympathetic to the appeals that were made.

“They could simply have ignored them and implemented the fines but they properly considered the evidence we put before them and chose a fair way or resolving the problem. Credit where credit is due.

“The letter does end with the warning though that when the bays are marked up then fines will start again so I would urge everyone to make sure they are parking legally to avoid a nasty shock when they get back to their car.”

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