Andrew Jones Archives - Page 21 of 22

Andrew Jones MP enters devolution debate

Local government minister Simon Clarke has sidestepped a request by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones to state the minimum population size for a new unitary authority.

Mr Jones submitted a written question asking what the minimum size should be to achieve value for money and quality service delivery.

But Mr Clarke’s response did not give a figure. He said:

“Whilst traditionally various population ranges for unitary councils have been referred to, where a unitary council is proposed its particular circumstances need to be considered when assessing whether its population would be appropriate.”

Mr Clarke added the government’s devolution and local recovery white paper, due to be published this autumn, would provide more details.

‘Too big and remote’

Population size is a critical issue in the ongoing devolution debate in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council has proposed creating one large authority that would serve all 610,000 people in the county besides York, which would remain a separate unitary authority.

The seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, have put forward an alternative east / west model that would result in two smaller authorities.

The district councils claim the county council’s model is too big and remote and their alternative suggestion would lead to more responsive local government.

In June, Mr Clarke said the size of unitary authorities “depended on local circumstances but as a rule of thumb are expected to be substantially in excess of 300,000 to 400,000”.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he was satisfied with Mr Clarke’s response and his view on the best devolution model for North Yorkshire but he had not replied by the time of publication.

What’s on the agenda for our MPs in Parliament?

Harrogate district Conservative MPs, Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams, return to the House of Commons this week after a six-week summer recess.

It is likely to be a busy autumn with key decisions looming on coronavirus, finance and the environment.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak face pressure from backbench Tory MPs over proposed tax rises to cover the mounting coronavirus bill for initiatives such as furlough payments and Eat Out to Help Out.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis told The Times it would be “very unwise” to increase taxes because of the “fragile” state of the economy. But Sunak is said to be considering raising corporation tax, reforming pension tax relief and making more people pay capital gains tax.

The Stray Ferret asked our three MPs if they backed tax increases but none had responded by the time of publication.

Skipton & Ripon MP Julian Smith, Harrogate & Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Selby & Ainsty MP Nigel Adams.

Votes on legislation are usually announced with just a few days notice, and there are important bills that our MPs could vote on before Christmas.

Mr Smith, Mr Jones and Adams could be asked to vote on the government’s flagship Environment Bill, which would introduce legally binding targets for water, waste and air quality.

The House of Commons will break for the party conference season in September and October — but the pandemic means it will look very different. Our MPs would have headed to the Conservative conference in Birmingham but it has now been cancelled and the event will take place online instead.

A deadline of December 31 for a Brexit trade deal with the European Union is also looming. However, if a deal is agreed MPs won’t have a say on it.

MPs watch – Porsches, refugees and £3,000 an hour jobs

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.

MPs were not in Parliament in August due to the summer recess. They return on September 2.

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, but we did not receive a response from any of them at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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

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.
According to a tweet from a constituent, Mr Jones wrote a letter about refugees crossing the channel on boats from France. In the letter, Mr Jones said the refugees “shouldn’t be crossing several safe countries” to get to the UK and he’s “working hard to find a solution to stop them”. However, the United Nations says refugees can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries.
On August 10, Mr Jones published figures on his website that revealed more than 15,000 people in his constituency have been furloughed from their jobs since March.
He also welcomed news that Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is set to receive an additional £527,000 to support Accident & Emergency (A&E) capacity ahead of the winter months.
Mr Jones tweeted three times in August.
On August 4, the MP welcomed £1.5m of government funding for a business park in Harrogate.
Mr Jones released a statement welcoming 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 missing Porsche sports cars and Cllr Samantha Mearns, who works as a caseworker in his office.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

The Stray Ferret revealed that Mr Smith has been appointed as an external advisor to a hydrogen company at a rate of £3,000 per hour.
On Twitter, the MP for Ripon paid tribute to veteran Northern Irish politician John Hume who died on August 3.
Fourteen of Mr Smith’s 19 tweets this month were related to Northern Ireland. He tweeted once about Ripon.
Mr Smith praised Netflix drama The Fall which he said he was “totally glued to” during lockdown.
On Facebook, Mr Smith complimented Ripon Catherdral’s 11,000 origami angels, which is a project organised by churchgoers to send messages to family members and key workers.
Mr Smith advertised for a new parliamentary assistant to respond to constituency enquiries, help run his social media accounts and assist with casework. The salary has not been disclosed publicly.

Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty

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

Mr Adams spoke out on Twitter on a range of subjects including Jeremy Corbyn, the debate over singing Rule Brittania at the Proms, and the sentencing of the Manchester bomber.
Mr Adams is the minister for Asia and earlier in the month welcomed ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries for ASEAN day. He said UK-ASEAN trade reached a 10-year high of £41.9bn in January.
He tweeted 14 times in August including several times about Drax Power Station in Selby, which is part of his constituency.
He visited several restaurants in his constituency that are participating in the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Harrogate district MPs silent on government planning reforms

Harrogate District MPs are remaining tight-lipped about the government’s planning proposals as a storm brews within the Conservative party over the reforms.

If passed, the proposals would have a big impact locally and could see Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan redrawn so land would fall into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.

The government could also set a fresh housing needs requirement for Harrogate if they think more homes should be built on brownfield sites within the district.

The Stray Ferret asked Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams whether they backed the proposals but none responded at the time of publication.

The BBC reported last week that one Tory MP is predicting “quite a battle” in the Conservative party over the issue.

Conservative MP for the Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he is worried the reforms will lead to “the slums of tomorrow” due to lower quality housing being built in affluent areas.

On the Today Programme this morning, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely even suggested that a large amount of new homes being built on the island could affect his majority at the next General Election.

James Jamieson, the Local Government Association’s chairman and a Conservative councillor also said a loss of local control over developments “would be a concern.”

The government wants to see 300,000 homes built a year in the UK and housing minister Robert Jenrick said the proposals will “cut red tape” to deliver housebuilding on a faster scale.

But it’s been criticised by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who called the proposals “disgrace” and the Labour Party who called it a “developers’ charter”.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the government’s planning reforms won’t do enough for affordable or social housing in the district.

She said:

“Yet again, we are witnessing a Conservative-run government who are completely unwilling to understand what people need. Reforming planning laws will not aid those who are either stuck on waiting lists or struggling to get the funds together to buy their own home.”

MPs watch: NHS ‘on the table’ in US trade talks?

Every month the Stray Ferret has been trying to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In July, lockdown restrictions were eased which saw a raft of businesses reopen in the district, including pubs, restaurants and hairdressers. It was also the last month in Parliament before the summer recess and several crucial votes were cast.

This month, we have included Conservative MP Nigel Adams as several villages in his Selby and Ainsty constituency fall within the Harrogate district — including Huby, Spofforth, Kirby Overblow and Sicklinghall.

We asked Mr Adams as well as Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones and Ripon MP Julian Smith, if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response from any of them at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence and activity in Parliament.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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

On July 7, Mr Jones voted against offering financial support for migrant victims of domestic abuse.
On July 20, he voted against protecting NHS in a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.
Earlier in the month, Mr Jones praised a rainbow tribute to NHS and key workers on the Stray. He said: “Our key workers have kept the nation going throughout lockdown and I want to see local and national celebration of that.”
Mr Jones tweeted just five times during July, down from nine tweets in June. He does not have a Facebook page.
He posted on his website a message of good luck to Harrogate Town ahead of their play off final this Sunday.
In a Commons debate about the future of the Palace of Westminster, Mr Jones called on lawmakers to invest in improvements. He said: “We need to save it for future generations as our national Parliament, making sure not only that it is modernised, but that it is fit for service for centuries ahead.”
On July 8 he gave a “cautious welcome” to pledges made by Bauer Media about the future of Stray FM. The company told Mr Jones that no jobs would be lost as the station transitions to Greatest Hits Radio.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith also 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.”
On July 23 Mr Smith went on a tour of Spirit of Masham, a gin distillery that has been producing hand sanitizer during the pandemic.
On July 16, Mr Smith published on his website letters he received from HBC’s Wallace Sampson and NYCC’s Richard Flinton regarding infrastructure improvements to the proposed Ripon Barracks housing development.
As businesses reopened in Ripon in early July, Mr Smith visited Little Ripon Bookshop where he was “heartened” by the hard work of staff to make the shop Covid secure.
On July 2, he attended a virtual environmental lobby organised by green group The Climate Coalition that discussed how to encourage a healthy and green recovery from coronavirus.
11 of Mr Smith’s 23 tweets were about Irish politics. He was sacked as Northern Ireland secretary in February.

Nigel Adams, MP For Selby and Ainsty

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

Mr Adams is the minister for Asia in the Foreign Office and he answered several questions in Parliament about China. Regarding the detention of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, he said: “We remain concerned by restrictions on freedom of expression in China, and urge the authorities to immediately release human rights lawyers detained for the peaceful and constitutionally protected expression of their views.”
He also said he was “seriously concerned” about the situation involving Uighur Muslims.
The majority of his 25 tweets concerned foreign affairs in countries including Vietnam, Nepal and Myanmar. None related to his constituency
Mr Adams voted in line with the government on the Trade Bill and the Domestic Abuse Bill.
He hit out at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying he had an “obsession” with undermining the Brexit vote.
A Liverpool fan, he tweeted “rejoice” at his club winning the Premier League title.
The news section of his website has not been updated since April.

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District’s MPs vote against protecting NHS in trade deal

Andrew Jones and Julian Smith both voted against protecting the NHS from any future trade deal with the United States or other country.

Last night’s amendment to the Trade Bill, which failed by 251 votes to 340, also included a provision to ensure the NHS principle of being “free at the point of delivery” was not compromised by any future trade deal.

The Trade Bill lays out what trading relationship UK will have with other countries post-Brexit. The amendment was submitted by Green MP Caroline Lucas and was backed by Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer.

Included in the failed amendment were attempts to protect NHS staff from having their wages or rights cut as the result of a trade deal, protections around the pricing of medicines, and stopping confidential patient data being sold off to private companies.

Trade minister Greg Hands told the Commons that the NHS “remains protected and will never be on the table at any trade deal”.

The campaign group We Own It said the MPs who voted against the amendment have “handed the NHS to Donald Trump on a silver platter”.

During the 2019 General Election, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn produced a leaked document which claimed that the NHS was ‘on the table’ in future trade talks with the United States. This was denied by prime minister Boris Johnson.

When he visited the UK in June 2019, President Trump said that the NHS could form part of trade negotiations between the two countries.

Earlier this week, Andrew Jones, the Harrogate & Knaresborough MP, praised the new rainbow tribute in Harrogate to key workers.

The Stray Ferret contacted both Andrew Jones and Julian Smith to ask why they voted against the amendment last night but neither had responded at the time of publication.

MP supports Harrogate business woman who’s had no income during crisis

The woman who runs music classes for toddlers and says she’s had no financial support during lockdown has been backed by her local MP.

Hannah Ruddy, who is classified as a sole trader, runs Musicality Kids in Harrogate and says she is one of the many people who has “fallen through the gaps” for government funding. Since March she has not earned any money.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has joined a cross-party group of MPs which aims to stand up for people like Hannah who have been excluded from coronavirus government support schemes.

In 2018, Hannah decided to leave employment and set up on her own teaching music. She told The Stray Ferret:

“Many people have been excluded for many reasons but when you’ve worked the whole time, paid tax for 22 years and put your own money into building up a business, it’s very difficult to accept that you are not eligible for any help, despite being unable to carry out your business for several months.”

Before lockdown, Hannah Ruddy from Musicality Kids was teaching 120 children a week.

The cross-party group was formed by Lib Dem MP Jamie Stone. He told The Stray Ferret:

“I set up this All-Party Parliamentary Group after hearing the overwhelming and heart-breaking number of stories from the millions who have been excluded from government support during this global pandemic…I am so pleased to have Andrew Jones join the 222 other MPs who are supporting the excluded.”

Harrogate MP gives ‘cautious welcome’ to Stray FM assurances

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, has given a cautious welcome to assurances from Bauer Media over the future of Stray FM.

Mr Jones wrote to the owners of the local radio station following its decision to come off air and become Greatest Hits Radio.

Since then, more than 3,000 people have signed a petition set up by the local Liberal Democrats to save Stray FM with hundreds submitting stories of what the station means to them.

In response to Mr Jones, Dee Ford, group director of Bauer Radio, said:

“Our plan at this stage is to deliver local news much as it is currently delivered by Stray FM.

In fact, we expect access to the size and scope of the wider Bauer news team will enable the local team to better cover major local stories and issues.

“With respect to your question concerning the retention of a Harrogate-based news team, while we are yet to make any final decisions on specific staffing requirements, we expect to retain these roles.”

Ms Ford added that Greatest Hits Radio will still have locally based journalists and businesses will have “improved options” for targeting their advertising.

She said any money raised locally for its charity, Cash for Kids, would also go towards supporting local children.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Mr Jones said he welcomed the assurances from Ms Ford, but added that the “devil will be in the detail”.

He said:

“This is positive movement on the issues local people have been raising and, frankly, a much more optimistic position than I expected we would be in. Any new arrangements for our local radio have huge shoes to fill and it is good to hear that several key principles about keeping it local, supporting local organisations and prioritising local advertising are understood and will be kept.

“However, we now need to see what those principles will mean in reality; how they will manifest themselves in what we hear when we tune in.”

“So, alongside local businesses and our community, I want to meet with senior management at Bauer Media to hear exactly how the promised local news will be delivered, practical examples of the community support they expect to do and the kinds of packages they will offer to local advertisers.

“It would be great too if we could retain some sort of local branding so that, if we can confirm the news content and the community and business support, the station doesn’t feel like a one-size-fits all operation even when it is still very much grounded in the community.

“In conclusion, this is progress and I am pleased certain principles about being a locally-based community-grounded radio station are confirmed. As ever, the devil will be in the detail and that is what we need to look at next.”

MPs watch: litter picking and lost car keys

Every month the Stray Ferret has been trying to find out what our local MPs, Andrew Jones and Julian Smith, have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In June, the district began to emerge from lockdown so we wanted to know how active they have been during this critical period. We asked both Mr Jones and Mr Smith if they would like to highlight anything in particular, but we did not receive a response at the time of publication.

So here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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

On June 24, Mr Jones voted against weekly coronavirus testing for NHS and social care staff.
In the House of Commons, Andrew Jones asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to clarify guidance for hospitality businesses. He said “councils should be encouraged” to use outdoor spaces to help hospitality businesses in Harrogate and Knaresborough survive.
Earlier in June, he asked health secretary Matt Hancock what steps are being taken to provide further coronavirus testing for BAME and vulnerable people.
He’s published two stories on his website, both about the closure of Stray FM. He said he has written to the owners of Bauer Media “seeking reassurances”. He does not say if he received a response.
One of Mr Jones’s nine tweets in June was that he found some car keys near to Tewit Well.
On June 26, Mr Jones spoke out against racist language on social media. He said: “This week I have been included in tweets using what I consider to be racist language. I have reported all the tweets and blocked both the users responsible. It isn’t acceptable; it won’t be overlooked.”
Litter on the Stray has been the talk of the town in June and Mr Jones took part in a photo where he collected litter with some Harrogate councillors.
He filmed a video for #PrideMonth expressing his support for the organisation Pride in Diversity.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Ripon here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith also voted against weekly coronavirus testing for NHS and social care staff.
In June, 40% of his original tweets related to Irish politics, despite the fact he was sacked as Northern Ireland secretary five months ago.
On Twitter, Mr Smith hailed the “stunning viewing numbers” of BBC drama The Salisbury Poisoning.
On June 26, he visited businesses in Ripon including Hambleton Brewery and the Little Ripon Bookshop to see how lockdown was affecting them.
A tweet of his went viral receiving over six thousand “likes” after he joked about his dismissal from government.
Speaking in a Commons debate he warned that businesses are still not prepared for the realities of Brexit. He said: “Many businesses haven’t realised the consequences of coming out of the single market and the customs union. We can start preparing them for that reality.”
On his Facebook page, he said he has “received an update” from Homes England on the Ripon Barracks site, but he didn’t elaborate to his constituents what this update was.
It is now almost six months since Mr Smith’s website was updated with any news.
Mr Smith has held telephone surgeries for his constituents throughout June.

Councils urged to help pubs and restaurants create more space

As pubs and restaurants have now been given the go-ahead to reopen next month, the political debate has shifted kerbside as councils are urged to allow businesses to create space on pavements for drinkers and diners.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this afternoon that pubs, restaurants and hotels will be able to reopen from July 4 after three months of lockdown.

The two metre social distancing rule will also be relaxed to one metre where possible, but people will be encouraged to use their “common sense” and keep their distance.

But the debate among local politicians has now shifted onto how to help businesses deal with the number of customers who are eager for a pint while abiding social distancing guidance.

Ahead of the announcement, trade bodies in the Harrogate district called for quicker licensing laws to help pubs and restaurants open more space onto pavements to increase capacity.

Geoff Webber, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on North Yorkshire County Council, said that the district and county authority should support businesses where possible and monitor social distancing.

He said: “My first reaction is that it is too soon.

“But as a county council we should do everything we can to assist business. There is a danger that the pavements can get congested, so it needs to be monitored.”

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate, said in the House of Commons this afternoon that he supported using outdoor space for hospitality and added that jobs in the district “depended on it”.

Pleased to be able to ask @BorisJohnson about using outdoor space to ensure space for hospitality businesses to open safely. Many jobs and businesses depend on this locally in #Harrogate & #Knaresborough. pic.twitter.com/lrdHA8qEpy

— Andrew Jones MP (@AJonesMP) June 23, 2020

In response to Mr Jones, the Prime Minister urged local authorities to “be more creative” and said that there was “plenty of space to be found”.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton, has been contacted for comment on the news but has yet to respond.

Jack Woodruff, owner of The Disappearing Chin in Beulah Street, Harrogate, said a quicker licensing process would help to open up more space in front of the bar.

He said: ”I’d like to hear a relax in outdoor licensing law from the government,

“I had one in from months ago but you have to go through several agencies.

“A relaxation to those rules would be ideal and it would be a really big help as we have a few areas that would allow that at the front but currently can’t use.”

The news comes as businesses in the district called for clarity on the the rule in order to reopen in July.

Pub, hotel and restaurant owners said the rule needed to be relaxed in order for their businesses to be viable after lockdown.

‘Too big and remote’

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