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.

This month our MPs gave their thoughts on the partygate scandal as well as on Rishi Sunak’s wife’s tax affairs.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, 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, as usual, 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 out on Mr Jones:

• On April 6, Mr Jones added his voice to the widespread disappointment that the area has not been awarded any money from the government’s Bus Back Better scheme.
• This month, the government launched controversial plans to send ‘illegal’ asylum seekers to Rwanda. On April 20, Mr Jones voted for an ammendment to the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill to enshrine this power in law.
• Mr Jones visited Harrogate’s job centre on April 13, where he posed for a photo with Aldi and Warner Hotels employees who were recruiting.
• On April 19 in Parliament, Mr Jones asked for more information about the controversial asylum seekers processing centre in Linton-on-Ouse. He asked: “When might it open? what is its capacity? and how many local jobs will be created?”
• Speaking in the Commons on April 21, Mr Jones backed an investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over “partygate”.
• Mr Jones has not updated his official website since January.
• During a Commons debate on April 26, Mr Jones responded to calls from some Labour MPs to bring trains into public ownership. Mr Jones said Labour “haven’t got a clue” and that rail travel has thrived since privatisation.
• On April 26, Mr Jones said it was ‘deeply disappointing’ that the Taliban in Afghanistan had suspended secondary school classes for girls.
• On April 27, Mr Jones voted in favour of the government’s Elections Bill, which aims to tackle election fraud.

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Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

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

• On April 8, Mr Smith defended Chancellor and fellow North Yorkshire MP Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy after she volunteered to pay more tax. He tweeted: “Not required in law but this is right decision. Both Rishi Sunak and Ashkata Murty have shown dedication to North Yorkshire & the United Kingdom over many years. Diversity of origin, background & roots is to be celebrated as is a v successful woman as well as a v successful man.”
• Mr Smith congratulated journalist and Grassington man Chris Mason on his appointment as the new BBC political editor. “Great news! Ermysted’s Grammar School old boys smashes it again!”
• Mr Smith voted in favour of a clause in the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill that commits the UK to receiving 10,000 refugees a year through official resettlement schemes.
• Mr Smith also voted to send ‘illegal’ asylum seekers abroad.
• On April 27, Mr Smith also voted in favour of the government’s Elections Bill.
• On April 28, the Ripon MP visited the city’s cathedral for a preview of an event that celebrates its founding in 1350. He said: “Flowers, light, sound – it has it all. Get along this weekend if you can.”

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

• On April 9, the MP announced he would be standing down at the next general election. He told the BBC he wanted to spend time on other interests after more than a decade in parliament.
• Mr Adams called criticism by Keir Starmer towards Rishi Sunak’s wife over her tax affairs “distasteful and desperate”.
• On April 12, the MP posted on his website that he welcomed a government ‘crackdown’ on fly tipping.
• On the same day, the MP praised Boris Johnson for his trip to Ukraine to meet president Zelensky. “Outstanding leadership from both men”, he tweeted.
• The MP hailed the government’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in Africa. He tweeted: “This plan will deter and prevent thousands of dangerous channel crossings organised by people smugglers who care not if their clients drown or not. If you think that is ‘inhumane and horrific’ there’s not much more I can add.”
• On April 12, Mr Adams said it was time to let Boris Johnson ‘get on with the job’ after being fined by the police for breaking lockdown rules.

Three years ago, David Elstob had the urge to open his own auction house. It was an ambitious idea for a 34-year-old with a large mortgage and a toddler, but he felt it was now or never.

After cutting his teeth at a site in Bedale, he relocated to Ripon Business Park where he now hosts auctions every four weeks, specialising in fine art, antiques, and silver and jewellery.

It has been quite a journey. Mr Elstob opened in Ripon in December 2019 — three months before the first national covid lockdown.

But although covid decimated many start-ups, it has had a more favourable impact on auctions by hastening the transition to online bidding and more modern digital approaches, which suits a man who is considerably younger than many in the trade.

Online auctions attract more bidders, meaning higher prices and more commission, which explains why many auction houses still operate remotely post-covid restrictions.

At 37, David Elstob is younger than most auctioneers.

Elstob and Elstob allows bidders back in on sales days but whereas 100 people may have turned up pre-covid, there’s unlikely to be more than 20 these days. Fortunately this is more than offset by the number of online and telephone bidders.

Mr Elstob says:

“We’d love a room full of people again but I don’t think we will ever go back to that.

“Covid has moved things on 10 years. It’s made us work differently — it’s so easy to bid online now.”

£50,000 brooch

As with many things in life, the thrill of live bidding has moved online.

Mr Elstob recalls with infectious excitement hosting the only online auction in Europe one day during the first lockdown in April 2020, when thousands of bidders worldwide competed for 600 lots. Instead of finishing by mid-afternoon as usual, the bids kept coming long into the night.

“It was a phenomenal sale. I don’t think I will ever experience anything like that again. People in Australia started logging on when it got dark over here. I brought the gavel down on the last lot at 9.45pm.”

A Tiffany orchid brooch sold for £50,000, adding to the frisson.

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Like Morphets of Harrogate and Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, Elstob and Elstob focuses on high-end collectables rather than general items, like Thompsons Auctioneers in Killinghall and Harrogate Auction Centre, which specialise in house clearances.

His most unusual lot? A bull’s scrotum that had been made into a handbag. It fetched £30. Nostalgia-fuelled 1960s and 1970s furniture is currently fetching good money and the market for Chinese porcelain and art remains strong.

Hidden gems

Mr Elstob, who is originally from Bishop Auckland and has a master’s degree in antiques, initially planned to “go down the surveying / estate agent route and quickly realised that wasn’t for me”.

He headed up the sales room team at Addisons of Barnard Castle in County Durham before becoming director at Thomas Watsons in Darlington.

Outside the sales room in Ripon.

A specialist in 20th century design, particularly the work of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson, who was part of the 1920s arts and crafts revival, he is nevertheless a general valuer, who can call on a range of experts for help.

“It’s like being a GP. I might not be able to give you a figure for everything you bring in but I will be able to say if it’s authentic and point you in the right direction.”

Often solicitors get in touch asking him to conduct probate valuations. One such coin collection in Southport was worth £50,000.

Mr Elstob, who enjoys keeping fit and spending time with his daughter, employs five staff. He plans to conduct more specialist sales and online auctions and to run more eBay themed auctions, which appeal to younger people.

At 37, his youthful vigour makes him well placed to capitalise on the changes to auctioneering. But he remains steeped in the traditions of the trade and the thrill of discovering what lurks in the attic:

“My favourite part of the job is being out on the road. You never know what you will find in someone’s home.”

An education leader has indicated there is unlikely to be a quick decision on the fate of Woodfield Community Primary School amid growing frustration amongst parents and children.

The school has offered new admissions in September. But with a huge question mark over its future, and the total number of pupils falling to 37 amid the uncertainty, parents want a quick decision so they can make definite plans.

However, Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire County Council, indicated it could be some time before a decision is made.

She said:

“It is anticipated that some time will be required for reflection, discussion and careful consideration of the school’s position between the governing board, the county council and the Department for Education.

“We cannot yet indicate a date when further news will be available, but parents and carers will be informed as soon as possible.”

The Bilton school faces the possibility of closure after nearby Grove Road Community Primary School withdrew from a planned merger three weeks ago. The merger was proposed after Woodfield school was rated ‘inadequate’ by government inspectors from Ofsted in 2020 and no academy would take it on.

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Sarah Preston, who has been a parent to children at the school for 12 years, said clarity was needed rather than the current “mixed messages”. She added:

“This process has caused nothing but worry and stress for parents and children. As a family we are hoping there is some kind of miracle and it doesn’t close and my children can stay there.

“The other day I got am email off the council saying my son has a place in September — how can they say this when no one knows what actually is happening?

“It is absolutely shocking how we are all been treated through this.”

Ms Preston said merger appeared to be a “done deal” until recently and she was now left “praying for a miracle” that Woodfield survives — but if it doesn’t she would rather know soon so she could make alternative plans for September. She said:

“Woodfield school is in a great location for families. There’s a brilliant green area for children to play sport and it’s right next to the library, which is great.

“With more houses being built we need schools.”

Asked what parents should do amid the uncertainty, Ms Newbold said:

“The ability to look for an alternative school place is a right for parents and carers in any circumstances and at any time.

“In this case, there is no immediate requirement for parents/carers to do anything in respect of a school transfer. Woodfield school will be open in September 2022 and admissions to the reception year have been dealt with in the normal way.”

Oatlands Funclub in Harrogate has been praised by Ofsted following a recent inspection.

Government inspectors visited the club, which is based at Oatlands Infant School, in March.

Their report, published this week, said “children are extremely happy and settled” and “managers have rigorous recruitment and induction processes in place”.

It added:

Long-term work to upgrade junction 47 on the A1(M) at Flaxby has now been completed.

The project, to improve infrastructure before more houses are built in Knaresborough and Green Hammerton, is at least £2.3 million over budget and took seven months longer to complete than planned.

The original budget was £7 million. This had increased to £10 million by September and the final cost has yet to be revealed.

The A59 corridor has been identified in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, as an area of rapid increase in residential and business growth.

Work on the junction began in September 2020 and this week became fully operational. The traffic lights have been switched on for the first time and all lanes are now open.

Three of the four slip roads, on and off the roundabout, have been widened to increase capacity.

Traffic signals are now in place on the roundabout to manage traffic flow and a T-junction has been added between the A168 and A59 to help drivers on the York side turning onto the A59.

A lane has been added to the west of junction 47 between the A1 and Flaxby roundabout so there will be two lanes in each direction between those two roundabouts.

Rapid growth

Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said the rapid growth in the area meant the works were essential.

He said:

“This important scheme has the aim of supporting the future growth and prosperity of Harrogate and Knaresborough. We anticipate significant residential and commercial development along the A59 corridor, resulting in many more people using this key link road.”

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The council attributed the delays to the discovery of great crested newts, which must be legally relocated, covid and poor ground conditions.

Mr Mason added the traffic lights will need to be monitored to ensure the timings are right and reduce queueing. He has asked motorists to be patients whilst the final adjustments are made.

The project has been supported by £2.47m from the government’s Local Growth Fund, secured by York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, along with contributions from the county council, National Highways and developer Forward Investment LLP.

David Dickson, chair of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This project is a real boost for the York and North Yorkshire economy. By improving east-west connectivity, the much improved junction unlocks the opportunity for further economic growth across the region.”

North Yorkshire’s chief constable has warned that the recruitment of new police officers won’t be felt in communities for years to come.

Lisa Winward told a Harrogate Borough Council meeting last night that she wanted to “manage expectations” about the recruitment drive.

She also described figures which suggest an additional 30,000 new officers will be needed in England and Wales on top of the government’s target of 20,000 as “frightening”.

In North Yorkshire, 113 officers have been recruited since 2020 and government funding has been allocated for a further 74.

But because each officer is trained to a degree-level of qualification, Ms Winward said the benefits of the bolstered workforce won’t be felt for “potentially another four years.”

She said: 

“When these officers join us it takes three years for them to become fully qualified. They’re out on the streets for part of that time, but they spend a predominant amount of time in training.

“In reality, we won’t see the benefits of these individuals coming into the organisation – certainly the final 74 – potentially for another four years.

“We are very much looking forward to and grateful for these officers joining us, but it will take time.”

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Reversing cuts to police officer numbers was one of Boris Johnson’s first policy pledges when he became prime minister in 2019.

But those in charge of recruitment have warned that the total number of new recruits needed is much bigger because of existing officers who will be resigning or retiring from the service.

Current police levels

North Yorkshire Police currently has around 1,560 officers and 3,380 total staff.

And Ms Winward said it is expected that around 25% of the workforce will have less than three years of service as outgoing officers are replaced with new recruits over the next few years.

She said this will be “very demanding” on the new officers in terms of them having the “skills, experience and ability to deliver the service to the community”.

Ms Winward explained 55 officers were recruited for training in 2020, followed by 58 in 2021.

She added a further 78 will be recruited this year, with all officers gaining experience in areas including roads and neighbourhood policing, and crime investigation.

Four of the 78 officers joining this year will work in an organised crime unit covering the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Where the rest will be deployed will depend on the outcome of a force management statement which is due to be published by North Yorkshire Police in May.

This document will look at current and predicted levels of crime in different areas across the county, as well as the current capacity of the force.

Ms Winward added: 

“This gap analysis will determine where those officers will need to be placed in order to ensure people are safe.

“But that is reliant upon a prevention and early intervention direction of travel.

“We cannot continuously service increasing demand so it’s really important that we prevent harm from happening in the first place.”

Bilton Working Men’s Club is to change its name after more than 100 years.

The organisation’s April newsletter says it will choose something that ‘more accurately reflects the inclusivity and diversity of the club’.

The newsletter asks for suggestions on what the new name should be.

A subsequent post on the club’s Facebook page says the following names have been suggested: The Bilton, The Club @Bilton, Club 1914 @ Bilton and Bilton Sports & Social.

The club, on Skipton Road, was founded in 1913.

According to the newsletter, it currently has 600 members and is ‘in a healthy financial position and continues to trade profitably’.

However, there are concerns about the impact of rising energy bills and staff costs.

Membership costs £10 a year and the benefits include drinks at around 50p a pint cheaper. Non-members are welcome.

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Parents of children at Boroughbridge High School have criticised Transdev after they claimed the bus company didn’t tell them a school route had been cut.

The V22 Vamooz service took children on the outskirts of Ripon to and from the school in Boroughbridge.

Vamooz is owned by Transdev, which operates several bus services in the Harrogate district, including the 36.

Two parents today told the Stray Ferret they were not told by Vamooz or Transdev that the service was being withdrawn, which meant children were left waiting this morning for a bus that never arrived. They called the situation “chaotic”.

Shanagh Brown’s 15-year-old daughter was unable to make it to school today from her home in Wormald Green.

Ms Brown said she had struggled to get any information about what alternative bus routes to the school there were for her daughter. She feared her child would have to catch a 36 bus into Ripon at 7.15am in order to get to school on time.

Ms Brown said:

“My daughter is upset, she’s just had Easter and wants to get back to school to start revising for her GCSES. 

“I found out from another parent that Transdev were withdrawing the service due to low passenger numbers.

“It’s a nightmare and I’m stressing out.”

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Philippa Graham’s 12-year-old son also goes to Boroughbridge High.

He has caught the V22 from Lead Lane for the past two years but returned home this morning after the bus never arrived.

Ms Graham said she was not aware the service had been cut, which she said led to a stressful day for her family.

“Our son came back home having gone to catch his bus and said ‘it’s not turned up mum’.”

“It’s utterly chaotic.”

‘No longer sustainable’

Vamooz’s website says children who normally catch the V22 are able to catch the 36 bus to Ripon from their usual stops before getting another bus, the 22, from Ripon Bus Station.

A Transdev spokesperson said bus passes for the V22 are valid on the 36 and 22. They said all school bus passengers were told that the service was being withdrawn.

They added:

“Less than 10 customers per day used this bus, which was obviously no longer sustainable, and each were contacted via email to make them aware of alternative buses they could use or take up the opportunity of a refund.”

A second climber has been rescued from the same rock at Brimham Rocks in the space of two months.

A male, believed to be aged 17, summoned help after a colleague of his fell on his way down and needed help from an ambulance.

Eight rescuers from Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association spent almost two hours helping the teenager last week.

He was trapped on the same rock at the National Trust-owned site, near Pateley Bridge, where a similar incident took place two months ago.

Upper Wharfe Fell Rescue Association help another climber at the same rock in February.

Derek Hammond, a controller at the association, said the isolated rock was popular with visitors who found it easy to climb but less easy to descend.

Mr Hammond said Brimham Rocks “wasn’t particularly dangerous” but attracted vast numbers of visitors, many of whom were not equipped for climbing.

He added:

“We would far rather come out and help someone rather than wait until they are injured. I know it can be embarrassing but if you are in any doubt as to your safety, call for help.”

The association’s website said of the latest incident:

“Team members once on scene were quickly able to rig ropes, to safely access and lower the young man back to the ground.”

Swinton Estate owner Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who is standing as an Independent in next month’s local elections, has removed some roadside posters after Conservative complaints.

In a sign of the election campaign hotting up, the Stray Ferret received an anonymous message today saying the Skipton and Ripon Conservative Association had alerted Harrogate Borough Council to ‘a breach of political campaigning rules’.

The message said Ms Cunliffe-Lister, whose formal title is Baroness Masham, had breached the rules by erecting the signs on roadside verges maintained by North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority.

When we contacted Ms Cunliffe-Lister today she said she had just spoken with Harrogate Borough Council and had agreed to remove some posters following a “minor misunderstanding of the rules”.

She said she had permission from a landowner to put signs up on private land but the council had explained that “some posters are on the highways verge rather than private land”. She added:

“It was a minor misunderstanding of the rules. I thought I had permission from the landowner.

“I’m new to all this — I haven’t taken part in elections before and it was down to my misinterpretation of the rules. We all have to obey the rules, which is why I will remove them.”

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A spokesperson for Skipton and Ripon Conservative Association said it had “flagged up” the issue on Friday because “you can’t put posters up on county council verges”.

Asked if it was happy with the action Ms Cunliffe-Lister intended to take, the spokesperson said:

“As long as they have been removed that’s absolutely fine.”

The signs were put up just outside Ripley on the B6165 road to Pateley Bridge.

Elections to the new North Yorkshire Council, which will replace North Yorkshire County Council and seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, take place on May 5.

Ms Cunliffe-Lister is standing against Conservative Margaret Atkinson, who currently represents Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire County Council and Fountains and Ripley on Harrogate Borough Council, and Liberal Democrat Judith Hooper.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Borough Council for comment.