politics Archives - Page 43 of 51

Nigel Adams: By-election could be called amid peerage reports

People in parts of the Harrogate district could be set for a by-election amid reports that MP Nigel Adams is in line for a peerage.

According to The Observer, Mr Johnson is planning to award peerages to both Mr Adams and culture secretary Nadine Dorries. Both are regarded as key allies.

The awarding of a peerage would trigger a by-election, which could prove an early test for Mr Johnson’s successor.

Mr Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes Spofforth, Follifoot, Huby and Weeton, is currently a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.

Mr Adams has already announced he will be standing down at the next general election, which is due to take place in 2024.

He was first elected in 2010 and has defended the seat in three subsequent elections.

He currently holds the Selby and Ainsty seat with a majority of 20,137.

The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Adams for comment.

Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment to seek levelling up cash

The proposed £47 million redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre will seek cash from the government’s Levelling Up fund.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the major project and has today confirmed it will bid to the second round of the fund which has a limit of £20m per project and a submission deadline of July 6.

The redevelopment plans were first revealed in 2020, but questions over how the project would be funded have remained ahead of the council being abolished next April.

The council issued a statement today, but did not say how much it would bid for.

It said:

“We can confirm we will be submitting a formal bid through the government’s Levelling Up Fund to help support the redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre.

“If successful, a version without commercially sensitive information will be available on our website after the announcement.”

The Levelling Up Fund was set up to help areas in need of economic recovery and growth, and each project must have the support of an area’s local MP.

Cash for the 40-year-old convention centre has also been included in a proposed devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York, which is currently being negotiated with government.

It is expected that a deal will be reached this summer, although there are questions over what funding could be agreed for the convention centre.

The venue has been described as in “critical need” of an upgrade by the council which previously said that without investment its maintenance costs could reach £19 million over the next two decades.

The proposed redevelopment could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

Plans to refurbish the venue’s studio two with a flexible events space for up to 1,200 delegates are also included in the proposals.

A start date for these works was earmarked for October, although the wider project has yet to be given approval.

Figures revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year showed the council has already spent £1.5 million on planning the redevelopment ahead of a final decision from councillors.

Contracts have been awarded to several companies to produce design and feasibility works, an economic impact assessment and a business case.

These works will be presented to the council’s cabinet in “the coming months,” a spokesperson said.

In the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council submitted a joint bid for £6 million for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

The projects would have included “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” in the three areas.

However, the bid was not successful and no funding was awarded.

MPs watch: Vote of no confidence and overriding the Brexit deal

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, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs. MPs also voted to override part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.

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 June 6, Mr Jones voted against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his confidence vote.
Mr Jones spoke twice at Prime Minister’s Questions during June. On the 22nd, he urged the Prime Minister to introduce more apprenticeships in the rail industry. Yesterday he asked a question about the government’s Access to Work scheme for disabled people.
Mr Jones had a stand at Starbeck Community Day on June 18 where he spoke with constituents.
On June 22, Mr Jones met with young people from the charity Barnados in Parliament.
On June 23, the MP wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel about “speeding up” measures to evict Travellers who break the law.
On June 27, Mr Jones voted in favour of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which aims to override part of the government’s Brexit deal.
On June 28, the MP paid tribute to Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam who died. Mr Jones said: “Malcolm was a Harrogate hero. He leaves a body of work that is impressive and an area much the better for all he did”.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

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

On June 2, Mr Smith attended the Queen’s platinum jubilee service at Ripon Cathedral.
The MP paid tribute to broadcaster Harry Gration, who died this month. He tweeted: “So sorry & shocked to hear this @BBCLookNorth – Harry was such a special person & at @riponcathedral recent platinum jubilee service was on cracking form – charming everyone.”
Mr Smith retweeted pop star Taylor Swift, who criticised the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion law Roe v Wade.
On June 15, Mr Smith was the keynote speaker at a Women in Business event in Belfast.
On June 21, Mr Smith voted against a Labour Party motion that would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to appoint a new ethics chief within two months.
Mr Smith, who is a former Northern Ireland secretary, abstained on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

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

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

The sweary MP tweeted that there has been a “a lot of conspiracy b*llocks spouted” about Boris Johnson’s trip to Ukraine. Last year, Mr Adams made national news after he told Stop Brexit Man, Steve Bray, to “f*** off” outside Parliament.
Mr Adams also paid tribute to Harry Gration. He said: “Harry was a lovely man and such a professional, fair broadcaster.”
The MP criticised RMT Union chief Mick Lynch following the rail strikes. He tweeted: “Not sure stopping working class people getting to work is a vote winner Mick.”
Writing on his website on June 28, Mr Adams hailed the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act, which he said will make it easier to stop Traveller encampments and hare coursing.
In early June, Mr Adams visited Hyderabad in India on a trade trip.

Sir Ed Davey: Lib Dems will target Harrogate and Knaresborough as key seat

The Liberal Democrats are set to make Harrogate and Knaresborough a target seat at the next General Election.

On a visit to Harrogate today, party leader Sir Ed Davey MP told the Stray Ferret the Conservatives had taken local people for granted.

Sir Ed, who was also speaking at the Local Government Association conference at Harrogate Convention Centre, said he would be returning to Harrogate and Knaresborough personally in the run up to the next election.

He said:

“We are going to be working as hard as possible to win this seat. I’m really looking forward to the new candidate being selected very soon.

“I’ll be up here working with them so that we do win this seat.”

Sir Ed said the Lib Dems’ agenda included tax cuts to tackle the cost of living, better healthcare and “getting tough” on water companies that pump sewage into rivers.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, holds a majority of 9,675 in the constituency.

He has been re-elected three times since winning the seat in 2010.

When pressed on how he could be so confident of winning the seat when voters in Harrogate and Knaresborough have returned a Conservative to Westminster for the last 12 years, he said:

“The Conservatives have taken the people of Harrogate for granted.

“We’re going to work hard to earn their votes. One of my criticisms of Conservative MPs is that they have taken their local areas for granted. It has got to stop.

“We will work tirelessly to listen to the communities, to take up their concerns and be their local champion.”

Last week the Lib Dems overturned a 24,239 majority to gain a seat from the Conservatives in the Tiverton and Honiton.

Besides Harrogate and Knaresborough, the party is also expected to focus on Tory marginals such as Cheltenham and Wimbledon, according to iNews.

The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Jones for comment.

Big names in UK politics coming to Harrogate for conference

Some big names in UK politics including Michael Gove, Ed Davey, Nadim Zahawi and Lisa Nandy will be in Harrogate this week for the Local Government Association (LGA) conference.

The LGA is the national membership body for local authorities. At its annual conference, delegates debate issues affecting councils across the country such as housing, social care and the environment.

Mr Gove, who is secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, will be giving the keynote address at the conference which takes place from June 28-30 at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow secretary of state, will also be speaking. As will Nadhim Zahawi, secretary of state for education and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.

Jackie Weaver, who became an unlikely internet star of a viral parish council meeting during the covid pandemic, will also be in town to address delegates.

Strayside Sunday: we have zombie leadership locally and nationally

Strayside Sunday is a monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

I write the morning after the night before the Wakefield and Tiverton by-elections, both of which proved (predictably) disastrous for Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party. In Wakefield, Labour took the seat with a majority of 4,925 on a 12.7% swing. In Tiverton, Tory since 1880, a massive swing of almost 30% saw the Sir Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats win with a majority of 6,144. Conservative Party Co-Chair Oliver Dowden published a letter before 6am this morning, “taking responsibility” and falling on his sword. Whether this is a put-up job, designed to draw the eye away from Boris Johnson’s actual responsibility, with a seat in the Lords to follow – after an appropriate passage of time – remains to be seen. However, Dowden’s reputation is that of a decent fellow and, so rare in modern politics, let’s take it at face value that, as the man in charge of the by-election campaigns that led to crushing defeat, he has decided to do the decent thing and go.

It was Bill Clinton’s Louisianan campaign guru James Carville who, in 1992, coined the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid.” And, in the end, it always is. If the economy is in the tank, then it is almost impossible for governing parties to win elections, general, by or local. And our economy is in serious trouble. With inflation running at a 40 year high 10%, the cost-of-living soaring, with post-Brexit trade friction and severe global supply chain problems, the economic outlook is bleak and a recession looking and feeling increasingly likely. At least interest rates, although on the up, are still in the low single digits. With the price of petrol and diesel going through the roof – the Stray Ferret reported that diesel hit £2 per litre in Harrogate this week – with energy prices spiking and with the costs of the average food basket increasing by close to 50%, people are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. As part of an economy drive, I would recommend that you avoid filling up at Wetherby services, which now boasts the most expensive fuel in the country.

If you ask pollsters there is only one question that counts in public opinion polling; “is the country heading in the right direction.” The single largest determinant of the answer is the state of the economy and, as the Americans say, how that is hitting people in their pocketbook. Unambiguously, most people are worse off now than they were a year ago and you are never going to win elections in that context.

That said you can’t discount the facts of the resignations of the former Conservative MP’s in Wakefield and Tiverton – criminal sexual assault and watching porn (twice) in the commons. These combined with the litany of bad behaviour on behalf of the Prime Minister – ethics violations prior, during and including Partygate – take one’s mind back to the allegations of Tory sleaze that put paid to the last long-standing Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. This lot aren’t behaving properly just when we need maximum grab in Westminster.

Boris Johnson carries on, blithely disregarding that which practically everyone else in the country knows; he has lost any authority to govern in our names. Yet on Boris blunders and blusters, now seemingly safe for a year’s grace, post-confidence vote, per Tory party rules. If the attacks on him from within his party had been coordinated, rather than piecemeal, then the confidence vote against him would not have been forced until the by-election results were in. But because the parliamentary party itself is a loose coalition of Red Wallers, Shire Tories, Right Wingers and One Nation Moderates, there was little shared enterprise in the bid to remove Johnson, rather a collection of individual malcontents from across the piece. Nor is there an obvious successor from any wing. I hope it’s not true, but because the plotters couldn’t get their act together, we may now be stuck with Johnson until 2023.

Closer to home we are stuck with Harrogate Borough Council for another 9 months until it is abolished and the North Yorkshire County Council unitary takes over. Following the May local elections, a new executive team took over at NYCC, which has prompted a rethink about the controversial proposed Station Gateway Development here in Harrogate. In two previous public consultations significant concerns have been raised by residents and business leaders about the impact of the development on traffic in the town. Yet another consultation – specifically on traffic impacts – is now to be commissioned. This is the politics of delay, of kicking the can down the road. Whether or not Station Gateway ever does get the go-ahead is now an even money chance, linked so closely as it is with the now dead in the water Harrogate Borough Council.

It seems whether in Westminster, or at home in Harrogate, we face a period of zombie government, neither dead nor alive, ill-equipped to deal with the very serious issues confronting us all.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Strayside Sunday: the Prime Minister is in trouble

Meet North Yorkshire’s new highways chief

At 27-years-old, Keane Duncan has been made responsible for one of the largest road networks in the country and an array of multi-million pound highways projects.

It’s been a baptism of fire for the young politician, who has gone from the debates of student politics to the senior councillor in charge of highways in a short space of time.

His new role includes the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, a £60 million scheme to realign the A59 at Kex Gill and the newly incorporated highways company, NYHighways, which will oversee thousands of miles of road.

For Cllr Duncan, the position is an opportunity but he’s also aware of that the role comes with intense scrutiny – particularly in Harrogate.

Youngest county councillor

A resident of the village of Norton and a councillor for seven years, Cllr Duncan began his political career while studying at the University of York.

He got involved with the local Thirsk and Malton Conservatives and asked to stand for council.

“I hadn’t really been politically active until that point.”

He was elected to North Yorkshire County Council and then later to his local district council in Ryedale.

For two years, he was leader of Ryedale District Council – one of the six districts which will be abolished next year to make way for North Yorkshire Council.

However, he stepped down in February 2021 over what he described as a “cruel and unnecessary” council tax hike.

He said:

“It’s a very challenging political landscape over in Ryedale.

“There was no overall control for any party and that represents difficulties in sometimes getting decisions through and doing what we need to do for local people.”

Ahead of the abolition of the county council and districts, Cllr Duncan was a key figure in the debate over what should replace them.

He backed an east/west model for North Yorkshire, while current council leader, Cllr Carl Les, was a proponent of the single unitary model.

Cllr Duncan said:

“I was very much in favour of what was called the east/west proposal.

“I believed passionately in that proposal at the time. I believe passionately in unitary local government, so I wanted to deliver that.”

New highways chief

Fast forward to May this year and Cllr Duncan has been appointed the the executive and will now have a key role in the county’s highways department going into the new council.

While he is now both the youngest member of the council and the executive, Cllr Duncan said he had no expectation of being given the brief.

He said he had “no hopes or expectations” of being given a senior position until he was asked by Cllr Les.

He said:

“I was focused on getting myself here on these seats in the council chamber. The leader asked me to join his executive and I was very happy to accept.”

Cllr Duncan added:

“My portfolio area is probably the most public facing. It is the area where we get the most public comments and complaints.”

Multi-million pound Harrogate schemes

One of Cllr Duncan’s pledges since becoming the highways chief is to visit each area of the county.

Earlier this week he visited Ripon and planned to do the same with Harrogate in the near future.

The Harrogate Station Gateway scheme.

The role in the district will prove to be challenging for Cllr Duncan, who will oversee schemes such as the Otley Road cycle route, Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood and the Kex Gill realignment.

Perhaps the most high profile locally will be the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme, which is earmarked for a further round of consultation later this year.

When asked for his view on the scheme, which has proved controversial in Harrogate, Cllr Duncan said:

“I’m personally supportive of that scheme and we are wanting to progress it.

“We are going out to a third round of public consultation to ensure that everyone can have their say and their opinions.

“For me, my test on the ground is what do the local councillors think and feel? They are the representatives of their local community.”

Cllr Duncan said he felt that that “on the whole” the council was trying to get the balance right on the various schemes across the district.

However, he added that he was aware of concerns over some of the schemes such as the gateway project.

His new role will also be to field complaints and criticism from the public, but Cllr Duncan said he is determined to do his job well.

“It is a difficult portfolio to manage, but I’m determined to do that by hopefully ensuring that we’re listening to people on the ground.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to visit Harrogate next week

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, is to visit one of the party’s target constituencies — Harrogate and Knaresborough — next week.

Mr Davey will be in Harrogate on Wednesday to meet local members and speak at the Local Government Association conference, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre from June 28-30.

The local party is in buoyant mood following last month’s local election results, which saw it become the largest party on North Yorkshire County Council in the constituency area. However, the Conservatives retained overall control of the council.

Nationally, the Lib Dems overturned a 24,000 Tory majority to win yesterday’s Tiverton and Honiton by-election.

David Goode, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, said:

“He will meet with members and will want to talk about the fantastic Tiverton and Honiton success where we overturned a massive majority.

“It’s also a good opportunity to share our own successes with him and our plans for the general election.”

The Conservative Andrew Jones has been the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010 and has won four elections. He succeeded Liberal Democrat Phil Willis.

In the 2019 general election, Mr Jones won 29,962 votes, beating Lib Dem candidate Judith Rogerson by almost 10,000 votes.

The Lib Dems did gain a 12-point swing on 2017, which largely came at the expense of the Labour Party.

Mr Goode said the Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate could be announced as soon as next month, with the selection process currently underway.

Last week, former candidate Ms Rogerson ruled herself out for personal reasons.

Mr Goode added:

“There are rumours of a potential autumn election and we want to be ready.

“Andrew Jones is going to be a worried man. It looks like it’s becoming an unrecoverable position for the Conservative government.”

County council rules out ‘printing money’ to attract staff

North Yorkshire County Council leaders have pledged they will not be “printing money” to boost its workforce’s wages despite facing its highest staff turnover on record and struggling to recruit staff .

A meeting of the council, which employs some 15,000 people, heard that many staff had left for higher salaries, resulting in a turnover rate of nearly 16 per cent.

The Tory-led authority’s executive heard the county’s significantly lower unemployment level than the region was exacerbating the recruitment issue, and despite launching innovative recruitment campaigns finding staff remained “a significant challenge”.

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Bryn Griffiths said that because local government pay had been “significantly suppressed” over austerity and recent pay rises had been outstripped by the private sector. it was not surprising the council had an issue with filling job vacancies.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s finance boss, replied the council had to find a way to respond to workforce competition,

He added while the council had set aside £375,000 in bonuses to boost social care recruitment, “it’s no good just printing money”.

Gareth Dadd

He said it was important the council highlighted the benefits of working in the public sector, adding:

“Sooner or later local government generally has got to recognise that perhaps its policies and offer isn’t in many cases what it was 40 years ago, we are competing with the private sector.”

Condemning the RMT union’s railway strike as “absolutely disgraceful”, Cllr Dadd said the cost of living crisis was not just confined to transport workers.

He revealed a cost of living crisis action plan would be considered by the authority’s executive next month, coupled with a revised list of priorities, such as council tax reductions, benefits and revenues.

Cllr Dadd said:

“From that I am confident we will see our priority will be helping those that are really struggling. It is only a small part, but nonetheless it flags up the commitment.”

People in crisis

The meeting heard the council’s Local Assistance Fund, designed to help people in crisis, would be used as part of the initiative, and while the fund had spent almost £200,000 more than its £675,000 budget last year, it would not be capped.

Stronger communities executive member Cllr David Chance said:

“If there is a need we will consider it.”

He said the council was working in numerous ways to help with the crisis.

Alongside the council injecting funds into the Citizens Advice network, school holidays programmes and a domestic property improvement scheme to reduce fuel bills, and as petrol prices continue to soar trading standards officers were visiting numerous “more remote petrol stations to ensure the equipment they use it accurate”.

He said the authority’s Income Maximisation Service, which works to ensure residents receive the best benefits they can from government, has gained about £45 million in additional funds for the county’s residents.

North Yorkshire Council faces £50m black hole, says finance boss

North Yorkshire County Council’s finance boss has said the new unitary local authority is facing a possible black hole of close to £50 million a year.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, executive member for finance at the county council, said the situation was largely due to deficits it will inherit from district councils and high inflation.

Cllr Dadd said it was far too early for the authority, which will come into existence on April 1 next year, to be considering service cutbacks.

Due to the range of uncertainties facing the authority including the ongoing impact of covid, he likened setting the council’s budgets to “trying to juggle two bowls of jelly”.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Conservative-led authority’s executive where a move to top up a fund to cover the costs of local government reorganisation to £38 million was approved.

Although he did not estimate the total structural deficits that the seven second tier authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council, would have accumulated by the time the new council is launched in April, he said it was believed it would be “substantial”.

However, it has been estimated the combined ongoing deficits of the district and borough councils could be in the region of £10 million.

In addition, ahead of the recent increasing inflation rate the county authority had been prepared to cover a deficit of up to £20 million.

With inflationary pressures, which include the council’s gas and electricity bill rising by some £3m, it is believed the total deficit could nearly reach £50 million.

Cllr Dadd told today’s meeting:

“That is a frightening figure, but nonetheless, I think we are right to raise that at this stage.”

‘Higher uncertainty and risk’

An officer’s report to the meeting said:

“As further savings are required the schemes to achieve these will become more challenging and inevitably contain a higher level of uncertainty and risk. Therefore, it is imperative that delivery of each saving is closely monitored.

“As well as direct costs, higher inflation will feed into increased charges from suppliers and put pressure on wage levels for our own workforce and the wider supply chain.

“Effective budgetary control will remain critically important in the coming year but this alone is unlikely to be able to stave off unanticipated price increases in delivering the range of council services.

“This is, of course, at the same time as undertaking key work in transitioning to the new unitary council.”

Cllr Dadd said while the authority had been successful in cutting costs during austerity, it would never be complacent about sound financial management.

The meeting heard the county council’s business case for local government reorganisation had provided for a £252 million saving over a five-year period after £38 million in costs were taken off.

Cllr Dadd said he would be astounded if all of the £38 million was needed for the reorganisation.

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Youngest county councillor

New highways chief

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Multi-million pound Harrogate schemes

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People in crisis

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‘Higher uncertainty and risk’