Lib Dems hit back at ‘out of touch’ Andrew Jones

The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative MP Andrew Jones of being “out of touch” after he claimed the local party had “totally gone rogue”.

Mr Jones cited eight examples of alleged “appalling behaviour” after it emerged this week the Lib Dems have been reported to the police for wrongly claiming the Green Party was not contesting next month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP published a letter he has sent to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey urging him to intervene.

Asked to respond to Mr Jones’ letter, a Lib Dem spokesperson said:

“At the next general election people in Harrogate and Knaresborough have a clear choice. They can back an out of touch MP or get real change with the Liberal Democrats.

“Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Conservative MP has supported a government that’s allowed sewage into our rivers and brought our NHS to its knees – many people are now backing Tom Gordon and the Lib Dem team who are fighting for a fair deal for the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

Tom Gordon is the Lib Dems parliamentary candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election.

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Sewage in Nidd and Ure: local politicians react to increase

Leading Harrogate and Knaresborough politicians have reacted to the news that sewage spills in the River Nidd and River Ure more than doubled last year.

The Environment Agency published sewage discharge figures for all the water and sewage companies yesterday. The Stray Ferret analysed the data to discover the amount of recorded incidents had more than doubled for the Nidd and Ure.

Water quality is likely to be a key issue at the next general election.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has led a campaign to achieve bathing water status at Knaresborough Lido on the Nidd.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has attacked the government for its record on pollution and called for a ban on water company directors’ bonuses.

The rivals gave different reactions to yesterday’s figures.

‘A complex picture’

Mr Jones told the Stray Ferret sewage “isn’t the only cause of pollution in rivers – particularly the Nidd”, adding run-off from farmlands also contributed to the issue.

Mr Jones said:

“The combined storm overflows are designed to discharge the contents of sewers into waterways when the sewers are blocked or overloaded.  In 2023 there was exceptionally heavy rainfall which meant the overflows operated more often, stopping sewage backing up into our properties. We need solutions that mean the storm overflows operate less and I am pleased that significant investment is happening and I am pushing for more.

“This shows the importance of a joint effort between water companies, the Environment Agency, house builders and many others to ensure that rainwater run-off into our sewer system is lessened through tree planting, on-site water storage on new estates and separation of clean water and wastewater sewage streams.

“Water quality is a complex picture and to tackle it we need to tackle all the underlying causes.  This underlines the importance of gaining bathing water status for the Nidd. This will mean a five-year plan is developed encompassing all the causes of pollution and engaging all partners in finding a solution.  That is what I have been championing with the local community and I hope to learn the outcome of our bid soon.”

‘A complete scandal’

Mr Gordon went on the front foot by attacking the Conservative’s record on pollution.

The party yesterday claimed the Conservative MPs have “consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis – including Andrew Jones”.

Mr Gordon told the Stray Ferret:

“It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our River Nidd. Despite our Conservative MP claiming to be campaigning on sewage we have seen the total number of hours of sewage dumped into the Nidd skyrocket, more than doubling.

“It’s beggars belief that Conservative MPs have allowed water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism. Local people are furious that Conservative politicians blocked tougher action on these disgraced firms.

“Here in Harrogate and Knaresborough we have a Conservative MP who has consistently voted against measures to stop the sewage scandal, local residents deserve better. Local residents and our precious environment need actions not words.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local rivers/beaches including replacing Ofwat with a regulator that has real teeth to clamp down on these polluting firms. We have also called for a ban on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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Harrogate needs ‘collective approach’ to town centre problems, says MP

Harrogate needs a “collective approach” to tackling problems in the town centre, says Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP.

This week, the Stray Ferret revealed how town-centre traders feel about anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and threats to staff through our unprecedented Trading Hell survey.

We also took a deep dive into crime data, heard from Harrogate Homeless Project about the limits constraining the charity sector’s response and put concerns over trader confidence to North Yorkshire Police.

Nearly all of the businesses who responded to our survey agreed that anti-social behaviour was an issue in the town centre.

The Stray Ferret asked local politicians how they felt about our findings and what they feel could be done to tackle some of Harrogate’s problems.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the issues as complex and in need of a collective approach to tackle them.

He said:

“Although Harrogate is by any measure a safe town that does not mean we do not have our problems. We do and the Stray Ferret articles highlighted some of these.

“The interviews with the BID, the police, the Harrogate Homeless Project and other organisations highlighted the need for a collective approach to dealing with these issues.

“For example, simply asking the police to move street beggars from one street to the next does not tackle the underlying issues with which that person needs help.It may be a housing issue, a benefits issue, it might be a mental or physical health problem, it might be addiction, it might a criminal justice issues such as county lines drug dealing.

“We need to look on a case-by-case basis and decide which interventions are going to be most effective to support that individual so that they do not feel that street begging is the only or the most viable option for them to address their circumstances. We need to support them into a stable situation with their home, job, health and personal life.

“So these are complex issues and a complex approach involving many different groups is required to solve them.”

Mr Jones added that he would continue to meet with businesses and organisations to listen to concerns over the problems in the town.

He said:

“We all have the same objective. To continue to have a vibrant town centre where we see brilliant events, our trademark independent shops thrive alongside branded stores, where we feel safe as retailers and customers and where our town attracts tourists to provide the footfall businesses need.

“I meet regularly with the organisations who have contributed to this series of articles and will be doing so again to continue discussing how we can work together to achieve that objective.  I hope the Stray Ferret will repeat their survey in a year’s time so we can see how effective the solutions we develop as a town centre community are.”

More comprehensive strategies needed

Meanwhile, Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, said the issues had been raised with him on the doorstep.

He said:

“Over the last few weeks and months this is something that has come up more frequently on the doorsteps and in my inbox. Retail employees make a huge contribution to our society and economy and they are the life blood of our town. Abuse against retail staff has an incredibly serious impact on those who experience it.

“The Liberal Democrats recognise that the UK government are asking shop workers to enforce the law themselves; they are enforcing the law on age-restricted products such as alcohol, games, DVDs and more.

“For retail workers specifically, we believe that where they are enforcing the law (e.g. minimum age for alcohol) or acting to prevent/detect crime (e.g. detaining a shoplifter), the law should give them extra protection.

“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are backing the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker, allowing for the aggravation of that offence where the retail worker is seeking to enforce a statutory age restriction.”

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon.

However, Mr Gordon said more comprehensive strategies would be needed to tackle the issues in Harrogate.

He added:

“I welcome and support the efforts of Harrogate BID and other organisations working to tackle these problems, including initiatives such as the Report a Crime campaign. However, it’s clear that more comprehensive strategies are required.

“We also need to do more to look at and address the root causes of anti-social behaviour, such as substance abuse and homelessness. This requires an evidence based approach that is multifaceted and takes into account access to support services, mental health resources, and addiction treatment.”

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No 9: River Nidd pollution and politics take centre stage

In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2023, we look at how the River Nidd rose up the political agenda this year.

National concerns about rivers were magnified locally in a year of intense focus on the River Nidd.

The state of the Nidd has become a major issue in recent years amid reports of bathers falling ill with sickness and diarrhoea and wider pollution concerns.

It led anglers, academics, conservationists and members of the public to set up Nidd Action Group to campaign for long-term improvements on the river, which is a tributary of the River Ouse that flows through Pateley Bridge, Birstwith and Knaresborough before meeting the Ouse at Nun Monkton..

The group bookended 2023 with two public meetings in Knaresborough. In between there was unprecedented activity that included water sampling and a campaign to achieve bathing water status.

The need to act was starkly highlighted in May when Professor Peter Hammond, a mathematician who analyses data on sewage discharges, published research showing the equivalent of 317 Olympic pools of raw sewage was discharged into the River Nidd at four sewage treatment works at Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, Darley and Kirk Hammerton in 2020.

The following month Knaresborough Lions, which organises the town’s joyfully insane annual bed race, issued a warning urging participants to “keep your head above water”.

Bed race competitors were told to keep their heads above water.

During summer, scores of volunteers monitored usage of the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido as part of the bathing water campaign led by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Water quality has become a highly charged and politicised issue and not everyone welcomed Mr Jones’ campaign.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, made rivers one of his main campaigning issues in 2023. He said local waterways were “being pumped full of raw disgusting sewage” under the Tories’ watch and accused water firms of awarding bosses “insulting pay-outs” after it was revealed Yorkshire Water paid £2.09 million to four executives in the year ending March 2023.

Mr Jones said he was taking a pragmatic approach to tackling an important local issue that is as much about farming and ancient sewers as government policies.

He even called for a parliamentary debate on the subject in January, when he told MPs:

“Rainwater run-off from farmland, which can include animal waste and pesticides, is a big factor affecting the quality of our waterways. It is a complex issue, and local farmers produce some of the highest quality food in our country, so can we have a debate to explore how the government can support farmers in mitigating this issue?”

Mr Jones’ bathing water campaign focused on Knaresborough, where leisure use of the Nidd is at its highest. There is an large wild swimming group, Lido bathers and boating on Waterside, as well as angling and riverside holiday homes.

If the bid, which the government is expected to adjudicate on in spring, is approved then agencies will be required to take measures to clean the Lido that should impact a much wider stretch of the river.

andrew jones-mp-and-frank maguire

Andrew Jones (left) with the owner of Knaresborough Lido.

Besides the bathing water bid, action group volunteers organised two rounds of water sampling along the entire length of the Nidd in August and October to establish scientific data on water quality.

The results confirmed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli. in much of the river. Tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment, including Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck, had the highest concentrations of E.coli, with Bilton Beck the worst.

River Nidd water sampling

Nidd Action Group volunteers learning to take water samples.

 

Photo of volunteers from Nidd Action Group sampling water quality in Oak Beck.

Sampling at Bilton

The results were discussed at the action group’s December meeting, at which some of the early fervour to tackle pollution had given way to a more hard-headed and strategic long-term approach.

The presence of Yorkshire Water at the meeting may have surprised some, but many felt the company was an integral part of whatever plans are drawn up.

Professor Jonathan Gray of the Wild Trout Trust told the meeting the creation of channels that took the river off its natural flood plain “with hindsight was not a good idea” and spoke about the need to reverse this.

Nidd Action Group

Nidd Action Group’s meeting in March.

David Clayden said there had been some initial “naivety” about what could be achieved and both he and James McKay, a Knaresborough resident and academic who has been at the forefront of analysing the water samples, agreed a lot has been achieved in 2023 — but it will take time for this to filter down to actual measures that improve water quality.

Megan Godden, the wild swimming representative on the action group, said people entering the Nidd should avoid swallowing water at all costs and consider avoiding it for a couple of days after heavy rainfall when e.coli levels are at their highest. But she was optimistic action could eventually make a difference.

Maddy Wright, a PHD student at Leeds University, said

“E.coli is the most problematic factor and exists in levels that could pose significant risks”, adding she hoped bathing water status would lead to data about the state of the river being published so “people can see and they will know the risks before they go bathing”.

The clean-up campaign was boosted in November when Yorkshire Water agreed to pay £1 million for polluting Hookstone Beck in Harrogate in 2016.

Half of the sum was awarded to the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, which will use what is now known as the iNidd project to clean-up the River Nidd. The name is similar to the iWharfe campaign on the River Wharfe.

Charlotte Simons, a senior project manager at the trust, said:

“The sad thing is we have the money because something went wrong. But we have been given a lump sum that can lead to long-term improvements on the River Nidd.”

River quality is a murky business.

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Lib Dem candidate hands in petition to fund £20m repairs to Harrogate hospital

The Liberal Democrats candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough has handed in a petition calling for urgent repairs to Harrogate District Hospital.

A report this year said a survey of the hospital estate found 2,500 panels made of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Twelve 12 high-risk panels had been identified and some theatres and corridors had been made safe with props. The report said further propping of panels that were in danger of collapsing might be needed.

The hospital has bid for £20 million funding to undertake repairs and Tom Gordon’s petition urges the government to provide this sum.

Mr Gordon, who handed the petition to the Department for Health and Social Care, said it was “particularly alarming is that there is no guarantee that the funding bid will be successful”.

He said:

“The potential consequences of failing to address this issue promptly are grave, as these panels are prone to crumbling and collapsing, thereby pose a safety risk to all those within the hospital premises.

“This Conservative government has utterly broken our NHS. It can’t even keep the roof over patients’ heads safe, let alone run a health service that gets people the treatment that they deserve on time.”

Mr Gordon said his petition had attracted “hundreds” of signatures but did not reveal the precise figure.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has also spoken out about Harrogate District Hospital’s need for repairs during prime minister’s questions.

Mr Gordon is aiming to be the first Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough since Phil Willis, who served from 1997 to 2010.

Andrew Jones has held the seat for the Conservatives since then.

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Yorkshire Water’s £1m pay-out to charities branded ‘pathetic’

News of Yorkshire Water’s record £1 million payout to environmental charities to atone for polluting Hookstone Beck in Harrogate has met with mixed reactions, with one local politician branding it “pathetic”. 

As we reported yesterday, the utility company polluted Hookstone Beck in 2016 with an unauthorised sewage discharge, killing fish and breaching its environmental permit. 

Following an investigation, it offered the Environment Agency an Enforcement Undertaking to pay £500,000 to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and £500,000 to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. The Agency accepted the undertaking, making it the largest civil sanction it has ever accepted. 

Yorkshire Water has also completed a £1.85 million sewer network upgrade in the area as part of the enforcement terms. 

But Tom Gordon, parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats, slammed the agreement. He said: 

“This is a pathetic pay-out for a firm which raked in over £500 million in profit last year. Conservative Ministers need to get tough on this polluting firm and fine them far more, as well as ban their insulting bonuses.

“It is a scandal that Yorkshire Water’s exec bonuses are more than double the amount offered for killing animals and destroying rivers in Harrogate.

“This reeks of a pathetic bribe, which Ministers have fallen for – hook, line and sinker.”

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Mr Gordon’s adversary, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, who is a colleague of the Ministers referred to by Mr Gordon, was more phlegmatic. He said:

“This is a significant sum in respect of an incident over seven years ago. These incidents should not happen and I am aware through my regular contact with Yorkshire Water on water-quality issues that substantial investment has been made since this event.

“The fact that such a large penalty has been paid by Yorkshire Water shows the seriousness with which the government takes pollution. I am pleased to see that the money is being spent locally – importantly on improvements to the River Nidd catchment and at Staveley Nature Reserve to support wildlife habitats.”

Photo of volunteers from Nidd Action Group sampling water quality in Oak Beck.

Volunteers from Nidd Action Group sampled water quality in rivers and becks across the district over the summer.

Meanwhile, Nidd Action Group (NAG), which was set up in Knaresborough in 2022 to stop sewage pollution and make local rivers safer, said it was disappointed the deal had taken seven years to strike, but hoped it would serve to change water companies’ behaviour. 

David Clayden, chairperson of Nidd Action Group, said: 

“NAG deplores the huge amount of sewage (treated and untreated) that continues to enter the river Nidd, often via becks that meander through parts of Harrogate and Knaresborough (2,000 spills and 12,000 hours in 2022, according to the latest data available). 

“NAG’s recent two citizen science surveys, in August and October, have confirmed continuing high levels of E. coli bacteria and phosphates in parts of the Nidd Catchment, including many becks.  

“One of our sampling points was on Hookstone Beck, and our surveys this year showed high concentrations of both forms of pollution, causing risk to human life and to the ecology in and around the becks, even after extensive work has been carried out.” 

“NAG is disappointed that resolution of these incidents has taken so long, but hopes that this ‘charitable donation’ acts as a meaningful deterrent to the neglect of our rivers and results in significant improvement of our becks for the healthy enjoyment of these formerly attractive local assets.  

“NAG looks forward to working with The Environment Agency and with Yorkshire Water to review the current evidence gathered by local citizen scientists and to ensure much needed improvements in the Nidd Catchment.”

Autumn statement will boost business and pay in Harrogate and Knaresborough, says Andrew Jones MP

Andrew Jones MP has said today’s autumn statement will “benefit businesses here in Harrogate and Knaresborough and boost the pay packets of tens of thousands locally”.

However, the Liberal Democrat hoping to replace him at the next general election said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s statement amounted to “empty promises and stale nonsense”.

Mr Hunt’s hour-long statement this afternoon included cutting the main rate of National Insurance contributions from 12 per cent to 10 per cent, increasing the state pension by 8.5% from April 2024 to £221.20 and a reduction in business rates.

But next year’s economic growth forecast was downgraded from 1.8% to 0.7%.

Andrew Jones

Mr Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“This was an impressive autumn statement delivered by a Chancellor who understands his brief.  Mr Hunt announced a series of measures which will benefit businesses here in Harrogate and Knaresborough and boost the pay packets of tens of thousands locally.

“The cut to national insurance contributions and the increase to the national living wage will put more cash in the pockets of the least well-paid.  This is very important in an area like ours that depends on the often less well-paid hospitality sector.

“The hospitality industry will be further supported with a freeze in alcohol duty and by the changes to business rates and hospitality and leisure relief.”

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Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next election, accused the government of being “content with local health services crumbling” by failing to provide additional funding for local health services.

The party had called on the Chancellor to invest in a NHS rescue plan and inject £20 million into repairing crumbling concrete at Harrogate District Hospital.

Mr Gordon said:

“This Conservative government seems completely content to sit back and allow Harrogate and Knaresborough’s local hospital to crumble. They are either so out of touch they cannot see how many people are struggling to access healthcare, or they simply do not care.

“The Autumn Statement was an opportunity to get people off NHS waiting lists and allow them to return to work so we can rescue our flatlining economy. Instead we got empty promises, stale nonsense and a tax cut that’s not even a drop in the ocean compared to what people have already paid.”

 

Harrogate Lib Dems criticise Yorkshire Water £2m executive payments

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have criticised Yorkshire Water after it paid senior executives £2 million in bonuses last year.

Companies House documents show the water firm paid a total of £2.09 million to four executives in the year ending March 2023.

The move comes as Yorkshire Water has faced criticism this year for pumping sewage into local rivers.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the water industry had become a “gravy train”.

He added that chief executives of water companies should be banned from taking bonuses.

Mr Gordon said:

“Our local waterways are being pumped full of raw disgusting sewage, all whilst the water firm hand themselves insulting pay-outs. The whole thing stinks. These salaries and perks have reached eye-watering levels, yet Conservative ministers refuse to act. 

“I was shocked that there was literally no mention of sewage in the King’s Speech.

“It is time to rip up Yorkshire Water so it no longer puts profit before the environment. The firm is clearly not working how it should and is not listening to local concerns on sewage discharges. 

“This country’s water industry has become a gravy train where sewage and money flows freely. This is a scandal and happening on this government’s watch.”

In response, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: 

“The pay of our directors is set by a remuneration committee, which is independent from our executives, and is comparable within the industry.

“Any incentive payments are strongly linked to company performance and align with best practice and regulatory guidance.”

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The comments come as Yorkshire Water recently submitted a £7.8 billion proposal to Ofwat as part of investment plans for 2025 to 2030.

The company’s plan includes £3.1 billion to improve resilience in the water network, £4.3 billion to protect river and coastal water quality and investment in customer service and financial support for customers.

However, it would mean average bills would rise from £438.12 in 2024/25 (£36.51 per month) to £518.76 in 2025/26 (£43.23 per month) with increases each year thereafter.

Mr Gordon previously described the move as “utterly scandalous”. 

However, Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the plan was a step up for Yorkshire Water and would help to “strengthen” plans for a bathing water application for the River Nidd.

Lib Dem candidate calls on government to foot £20m Harrogate hospital concrete bill

The man who hopes to be Harrogate and Knaresborough‘s next Liberal Democrat MP has launched a campaign calling on the government to foot the bill for essential repairs at Harrogate District Hospital.

Tom Gordon, the Lib Dems’ parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, to highlight his concerns about the construction panels at the hospital made of RAAC.

RAAC – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – made headlines nationally recently after it was found to be a substandard component of many schools and hospitals built between the 1950s and 1990s.

Health officials estimated in September it will cost £20 million to eradicate “crumbly concrete” from Harrogate District Hospital, which was built in the 1970s.

A survey of hospital properties found 2,500 RAAC panels, and added that remedial works have been completed on 12 “high-risk” panels, with some theatres and corridors in the hospital made safe with props. The report said that further propping might be needed of panels that were in danger of collapsing.

Mr Gordon said:

“Every member of our community relies upon our local hospital, or knows someone that does. It is simply not acceptable that people are receiving care, or trying to work, in an environment where temporary props are require to stop crumbling concrete collapsing above their heads. This is scandalous.

“It beggars belief, the local NHS trust are having to bid for this money from NHS England and there is no guarantee they will get it. Where does this leave our patients, doctors and nurses if the bid is unsuccessful?

“Ensuring that our local hospital is fit for the future is a priority to me and many residents I’ve spoken with. People are outraged.

“The government must act and release the funds to fix this crumbling concrete crisis at our local district hospital at once.”

Residents can add their name to Mr Gordon’s letter to the Secretary of State online.

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Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems criticise homeless tent restriction plan

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she proposed laws to restrict the use of tents by homeless people.

Ms Braverman posted on her social media that the government would introduce new penalties for those who are believed to have refused help from the authorities.

She argued that many see the move to live in a tent as a “lifestyle choice” and that help should be offered to those who are “genuinely homeless”.

Ms Braverman said:

“The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless.

“But, we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.”

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the proposal as “wrong on so many levels”.

He said:

“I can’t stay silent about the recent comments by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who called rough sleeping a “lifestyle choice” and wants to restrict the use of tents by homeless people.

“This just feels wrong on so many levels, and it certainly doesn’t represent the views of local people that I know.

“Our towns have always been known for their sense of community, compassion, and the way we rally around those in need.”

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Mr Gordon rejected the suggestion that living in a tent was a “lifestyle choice” and described it as “the most desperate of politics”.

He added:

“The majority of homeless individuals are often dealing with difficult circumstances beyond their control.

“We should be focused on addressing the root causes of homelessness, such as this governments chronic failure of housing policy, rather than penalising those who are trying to survive on the streets.”

Ms Braverman’s proposal is expected to be included in the King’s Speech tomorrow, which sets out the government’s legislative agenda.

Lifestyle choice comment is ‘not correct’

Meanwhile, Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the Home Secretary’s comments on the reasons behind homelessness, rough sleeping and street begging showed “a limited understanding” of the issues.

However, he added that Mrs Braverman also spoke of investment in wrap-around care and greater support for those who face such issues.

Mr Jones said:

“The Home Secretary’s comments in respect of the reasons behind homelessness, rough sleeping and street begging showed limited understanding of these issues.

“To describe homelessness as ‘a lifestyle choice’ and the people who are in these situations as mainly ‘from abroad’ is not correct. It is not surprising that those comments have been seized upon as they are a simplistic description of what most know are complex issues with many dimensions.

“She went on to talk about the need to invest more in wrap-around care and for greater support for the problems faced by homeless people, rough sleepers and street beggars. I agree with that part of what she said and wish she had restricted herself to those sensible and positive comments.

“We have invested in this kind of support nationally and locally I did so as a Harrogate councillor with responsibility for the borough’s finances. This is support that tackles the problems that underlie homelessness and rough sleeping –addiction, family breakdown, mental health problems and many more beside.”

Harrogate Homeless Project

He added:

“We have an example of excellence in tackling homelessness in the Harrogate Homeless Project. The project supports people back in to stable lives by helping them deal with the problems that contributed to their homelessness or rough sleeping.

“They continue that support as their clients build new lives in permanent accommodation. They deal with the complex issues in a measured and practical way; their approach to these issues is the correct one. Sound-bites aside, more emphasis on that approach is what I want to see in the King’s Speech.”