Voters in some parts of the Harrogate district will fall under a new constituency in six weeks’ time.
Polling day on July 4 will be the first time that the Wetherby and Easingwold seat will be contested.
The constituency replaces part of the former Selby and Ainsty seat, which will now be known as Selby.
In this article, the Stray Ferret looks at the implications of the new constituency and explains why it has been introduced and what it means for voters in our district.
Why has Wetherby and Easingwold been introduced?
In June 2023, the Boundary Commission made final recommendations to government over changes to constituency boundaries.
As part of a periodical review of the 650 constituencies in the UK, it looked at whether some seats needed to be reduced in size, increased in size or abolished altogether.
Among the recommendations was to introduce a new constituency called Wetherby and Easingwold.
At the time, Tim Bowden, secretary of the Boundary Commission, said the proposals were made following extensive consultation.
The Wetherby and Easingwold seat.
He added that the move to change the boundaries was made to “best to reflect local community ties”.
The changes, which include retaining a total of 650 constituencies across the UK, see each seat contain no less than 69,724 voters and no more than 77,062.
Where in the Harrogate district will fall under the new constituency?
Wetherby and Easingwold will take in areas of five current constituencies including Harrogate and Knaresborough, Thirsk and Malton, Elmet and Rothwell, Selby and Ainsty and Skipton and Ripon.
A total of 5.6% of the current Harrogate constituency will fall under the new seat.
This includes Boroughbridge, Minskip, Marton-cum-Grafton, the Dunsforths, Ripley and Nidd.
Goldsborough, Flaxby, Allerton Park, Hopperton, Follifoot, Spofforth and Burton Leonard will also be added to the seat.
The estimated electorate size of the new constituency will be 71,455.
Who will be contesting the seat?
It’s early days in the election campaign, but two candidates have already been announced for the seat.
Current Elmet and Rothwell MP, Alec Shelbrook, will contest the constituency for the Conservatives.
Mr Shelbrook’s current seat is among those being abolished as part of the boundary review.
Meanwhile, Reform UK will field Mike Jordan as its candidate and James Monaghan will stand for the Liberal Democrats in the new constituency.
So far, Labour and Greens have yet to announce candidates for the seat.
Read more:
- Who will be standing in the Harrogate district at the general election?
- Opposition parties prepare for chance to end Tory stranglehold in Harrogate and Knaresborough
Halogen heater causes house fire near Boroughbridge
A halogen heater left too close to curtains caused a house fire near Boroughbridge last night.
A person at the house required oxygen and was taken to hospital.
Firefighters from Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the property in Aldborough at 10.40pm last night.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:
“The fire was caused by a halogen heater that had accidentally been turned on whilst being too close to the curtains.
“On the arrival of fire crews, the occupant had extinguished the fire using a fire extinguisher and water from a kettle.”
The report said firefighters removed the curtains, dampened down and cleared the smoke.
It added:
“Crews administered oxygen therapy to one occupant suffering from smoke inhalation. The occupant was transported to hospital via road ambulance for a precautionary check up.”
Read more:
- Boroughbridge Primary School to get two new classrooms
- Person hospitalised after industrial accident near Boroughbridge
Ripon council leader calls for decision on 1,300 homes to be deferred
The leader of Ripon City Council is to call for a decision on whether to allow 1,300 homes to be built in the city to be deferred today.
Government agency Homes England has applied to redevelop Ministry of Defence land in the north-west of the city, between Clotherhome Road and Kirkby Road,
North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee, which adjudicates on large applications, has been recommended to approve the scheme when it meets at 10am this morning.
Cllr Williams warned the plans would lead to “traffic chaos” and the “destruction” of key military heritage sites. He said it would be premature to make a decision until these issues are resolved.
Cllr Williams, who also represents Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret:
“I am attending the meeting and will be calling in the strongest terms for members of the strategic planning committee to defer their decision on the Homes England application.
“The application is premature and I find it disingenuous of Homes England to agree to meet with the city council in July to discuss unresolved matters of major concern to the people of Ripon, while seeking approval for their proposals today.”
Cllr Williams added:
“These matters include the city council’s unanimous call for the protection of military heritage on the barracks site and concerns we have also raised about a proposed change to the Somerset Row and Low Skellgate junction.
“As the application stands, the military heritage, which is part of Ripon’s history, is threatened with destruction, which is totally unacceptable, while the planned junction change, which would prevent those heading towards the city from turning right, would lead to traffic chaos, as drivers will either have to go to the Bedern Bank roundabout and double back on themselves or face a long detour on unsuitable roads.”
The 98-page report by council case officer Kate Broadbank recognises the significance of Ripon’s military heritage. It says “Deverell Barracks has extensive heritage significance” and that the demolition of buildings, such as a 1939 military camp and training bridges “represents the most severe harm to significance as it and most of the components within it will be lost”.
One of the bridges.
The report talks about including measures such as a “public art strategy reflecting the history of the barracks” and installing interpretation boards with details about the site’s military history but adds “it is not possible to require assets to be retained”.
The lack of guarantees has heightened Ripon Military Heritage Trust‘s concerns that key military sites will be bulldozed.
The trust said in a statement it was only informed of the recommendation six days before the meeting, even though it had been talking to North Yorkshire Council and Homes England about the military concerns for 15 months.
The statement said:
“It is clear to us that not a single one of our concerns has been addressed. We are extremely disappointed that there seems so little regard for these heritage assets, their significance and their long-term preservation.”
The meeting is due to be broadcast on the council’s YouTube channel here at 10am.
The Stray Ferret is backing Ripon Military Heritage Trust’s campaign to save key military heritage sites at Clotherholme, as reported here. Please join the campaign and sign the petition here. If it gets 500 signatures it will be debated by North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon planning committee.
Read more:
- Green light set to be given tomorrow to 1,300 homes in Ripon
- How Ripon played a key role in two world wars
- Community diagnostic centre opens at Ripon hospital