Harrogate and Knaresborough‘s Conservative MP Andrew Jones has declined to say whether he will support the government’s Rwanda bill tomorrow.

The Safety of Rwanda Bill aims to block legal challenges that prevent deportation flights of asylum seekers from taking off. The government is bringing forward the bill after the Supreme Court ruled its previous attempt to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful.

The verdict triggered the resignation of Home Secretary Suella Braverman and has led to threats of a rebellion from the right of the Conservative Party, which fears the new bill does not go far enough.

At the same time, some more centrist Conservatives are concerned the bill ignores international law.

If the Conservatives lose the vote, it would be a serious blow to the authority of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he would vote in favour of the bill.

He replied:

“We should not think of the Rwanda bill in isolation.  It is part of a number of measures designed to deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel.

“Among these measures are new returns agreements with Albania, enhanced deals with the French authorities, greater support for asylum application processing and more besides.  These measures have led to crossings coming down by a third this year already.”

Mr Jones went on to say he “will be looking closely at the bill and any amendments which might be selected for debate by the Speaker”, adding:

“When considering those amendments my thoughts will be about how we break the people smuggling gangs and, most importantly, how we stop the grim certainty of more fatalities in our coastal waters.

“This issue is not confined to the UK; we see it again and again in the Mediterranean too.  Breaking these gangs requires an international effort and I know we are working closely with partners on how this is done to the best effect.”

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North Yorkshire County Council could introduce a 100% premium on council tax bills on second homes within the next two years.

The local authority estimates the charge could generate £1.5m a year in extra council tax payments in the Harrogate district and £14m a year in North Yorkshire overall.

The issue of second homes in the county has risen up the political agenda in recent years, with concerns that they are pricing local people out of buying homes in the places they were brought up.

House prices in the Yorkshire Dales, for instance, are about a third higher than the county average. The average cost of a property in the Dales is nearly £400,000, while the average weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

Councillor Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said the move depended on new legislation being introduced by the national government and the approval of the local authority.

He said any money raised through the premium would be used to fund council services, including council tax reduction schemes and affordable housing projects.

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The council’s executive will meet on Tuesday to debate the new council tax policy.

Council leader Carl Les

Cllr Les said:

“The issue of second home ownership has emerged as a major issue for many areas of the country, and it is one that we are acutely aware of in North Yorkshire.

“The county is a wonderful place to live and visit, and that has seen the trend towards people wanting to purchase a property either as a second home or a holiday let.

“Any proposed premium on second home owners will be carefully considered and debated by the council before the new legislation is introduced.

“But the revenue generated would prove to be a key source of funding to help to bridge the new council’s budgets and finance vital areas such as homelessness costs and also providing more affordable housing.”

Both the county council and Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on April 1 next year and be replaced by a new authority called North Yorkshire Council.

Applications are now open for thousands of households to apply for their £150 energy rebate from Harrogate Borough Council.

There are around 15,000 households that must fill out an online form because they do not have a direct debit set up with the council.

Other people who have yet to receive the payout because their bank account name does not match the name on their council tax records can also apply on the council’s website.

The payments are to help with soaring energy bills and are being made to homes in council tax bands A-D.

Around a third of Harrogate district households have yet to receive the money, including some of those who will be paid automatically because they pay council tax by direct debit.

Those who are non-direct debit have had to wait until now to apply.

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The council said these households will need their latest council tax bill and bank account details if they want the £150 paid into their bank.

The council added:

“Your rebate will be paid into your bank account within two weeks of a successful application

“Please note that we will not contact you by telephone for this information.”

There is further funding set to be made available for households which do not qualify under the initial scheme. This will include people on low income in council tax bands E-H.

Separately, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills for all domestic electricity customers from October.

However, unlike the council tax rebate, this discount will be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over a five year period from 2023, when it is hoped global wholesale gas prices will have come down.

For more information on how to apply for the £150 energy rebate go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/energyrebate