No charges against Harrogate Lib Dems after police investigationBy-election suggests tactical voting may topple Tories in Harrogate and Knaresborough

It may only have been a council by-election but this week’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone vote in Harrogate provided some fascinating insights into the local political landscape at a crucial time.

Andrew Timothy won the seat vacated by the resignation of fellow Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh.

His 44% share of the vote was down on the 52% achieved by Ms Marsh in 2022 after a bruising campaign in which the Lib Dems were reported to the police for wrongly stating the Green Party was not fielding a candidate.

But the 326-vote margin of victory over Conservative runner-up John Ennis was comfortable enough and brought relief to the Lib Dems, who were in danger of losing control of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee in a difficult by-election triggered by Ms Marsh’s anti-semitic comments.

Cllr Timothy left the count at Woodlands Methodist Church without giving interviews but Tom Gordon, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said in a statement afterwards the result “proves elections here in Harrogate and Knaresborough are a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives”.

He added:

“We will take the new members, new deliverers, new activists, new councillor and momentum forward into the general election to win back the parliamentary seat from the Conservatives.”

‘Labour supporters voted tactically’

Labour candidate Geoff Foxall did little to challenge Mr Gordon’s view that Harrogate and Knaresborough was shaping up to be a straight fight between the Tories and Labour — and hinted tactical voting was the way to go.

Despite his party riding high in the national polls, Mr Foxhall finished last with just 116 votes yet he appeared far from downbeat.

He said:

“The Liberal Democrats should be thankful for the many Labour voters who have voted tactically. I hope Lib Dem voters reciprocate in the mayoral election.”

Mr Foxall said “voters in Harrogate are sophisticated” and frequently voted tactically. He highlighted how Labour did “particularly badly” in Harrogate and Knaresborough in 1997 when Barbara Boyce polled just 9% despite Tony Blair securing a national landslide, paving the way for Phil Willis to win locally for the Lib Dems.

Mr Foxall said Labour was “used to getting squeezed” locally and even suggested it would be open to a coalition with the Lib Dems and Greens at county level, where he said the parties were “akin on most issues”, and together could end the Conservatives’ dominance.

Asked what voting advice he would give Labour supporters in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election, he said:

“Vote according to your conscience.”

For the Conservatives, so long the dominant force in North Yorkshire, it was a disappointing night.

During the campaign Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, wrote to Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urging him to take action against local party members following the police complaint.

The ill feeling was apparent on the night when the Lib Dems complained to election officials about the number of Tories witnessing the count.

Mr Ennis and local activists campaigned hard in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone but he still finished a distant second with 31%. The party polled 35% in 2022.

Speaking straight after the result, Mr Ennis said he had “campaigned in good faith on local issues, offering a positive message”.

He acknowledged “the national situation hasn’t helped” but added it was “difficult to extrapolate” conclusions from a by-election and he remained “confident we can hold the parliamentary seat”.

He also said the situation in next month’s mayoral election was “looking hopeful”.

Some Green Party members had hoped to claim second place but Gilly Charters still finished well ahead of Reform UK and Labour in third.

Ms Charters was upbeat afterwards, saying “a Green vote was a hopeful vote”, adding:

“The Greens will be back — and we hope we won’t have to call the police in next time.”

As for Reform UK, its 6% was below its national polling but it still finished above Labour. John Swales, its candidate, said:

“From a standing start and around four weeks to prepare we are building our presence in Harrogate and further progress will come in time.

“It was a good experience for us and we learnt a lot, performing with integrity and honour during the campaign and we would like to thank all the voters who supported us this time and we look forward to future campaigns with confidence.”

Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election result

The turnout was 41%.

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Lib Dems win Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election

The Liberal Democrats have won the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election on North Yorkshire Council.

Lib Dem candidate Andrew Timothy finished first with 1,094 votes, ahead of Conservative John Ennis with 768.

It means the Liberal Democrats have retained control of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee. They have seven councillors, while the Conservatives have four and there are two Independents.

The Conservatives remain in control of North Yorkshire Council, with 44 of the 90 councillors. Three Independents who formed a Conservatives and Independents group helped maintain the Tories’ grip on power.

Yesterday’s by-election was called following the resignation of Lib Dem councillor Pat Marsh.

The result, which was declared at Woodlands Methodist Church on Wetherby Road just before midnight, was:

The turnout was 41%.

Mr Timothy left as soon as the count had concluded, declining to be interviewed.

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By-election candidates support Harrogate active travel proposals

Candidates standing in next week’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election have backed proposed new measures to encourage walking and cycling in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Council is consulting on plans to introduce crossings at the junctions of Slingsby Walk and Oatlands Drive Slingsby Walk and Wetherby Road.

It hopes the move will encourage fewer journeys by car in a part of town densely populated by schoolchildren.

The Stray Ferret asked the five candidates standing in Thursday’s by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council for their views on the proposal.

Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Timothy, who will be defending the seat for the Lib Dems following Pat Marsh’s resignation in February, was the only one not to respond.

The Conservative, Labour, Green and Reform UK candidates all, however, supported the proposal.

John Ennis, who finished runner-up for the Tories when the seat was last contested in 2022, said:

“Having myself campaigned over several years for pedestrian / cyclist crossings at these two points on Slingsby Walk, I very much welcome the fact the council is bringing these proposals forward, and would encourage local residents to respond to the consultation.

“Regarding the council’s reference to possible further traffic changes in the Oatlands Drive area, I am supportive in principle of 20mph, but opposed to any introduction of local one-way systems.”

Labour candidate Geoff Foxall, a former Harrogate borough councillor, said:

“I agree to both of these as necessary safety precautions: for school pupils on Oatlands Drive and residents and school pupils on Wetherby Road. Hopefully, these measures will encourage school pupils to walk or cycle to school rather than be driven there by parents.”

The Slingsby Walk and Wetherby Road junction.

Gilly Charters, who is representing the Green Party, said many residents in the Saints area were worried about child safety  and the crossings would address this and support active travel.

She added:

“The local Greens have led the way at North Yorkshire to address speed limits and road safety issues in particular around schools and presented a pilot scheme to Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee which paved the way for campaign groups to get safety measures in place on the roads around schools on the western side of Harrogate.

Reform UK candidate John Swales said he supported the crossings but “with a number of concerns, or reservations”.

He said it wasn’t clear how the pre-consultation was undertaken, and why motorists were not included, or why the cost of the schemes had appeared to increase since they were first mooted.

Mr Swales added:

“Also, I wouldn’t support a 20mph speed limits or junctions being made one-way, without a clear understanding of the benefits and drawbacks.”

The deadline for comments is Sunday, April 14. For more information and to view the plans, click here

Any comments should be emailed to Area6.Boroughbridge@northyorks.gov.uk using ‘Oatlands Drive/Wetherby Road crossing consultation’ in the email title.

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Andrew Timothy, Liberal Democrats

Andrew Timothy says North Yorkshire Council needs more enthusiasm in its ranks.

He believes he can offer that if elected as councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone on April 11. He’d be the youngest member of North Yorkshire Council at 25.

Originally from the West Midlands, he moved to Harrogate a few years ago to work in a science lab. He lives just outside the division on Leeds Road.

The nature of being on the council where meetings are held during the day means younger people can be put off from standing due to work commitments. Mr Timothy says his employer will allow him to go part-time so he can fulfil his duties.

He believes his age helps him better understand the challenges facing young people in Harrogate and points to the often-heard complaints that there’s not much for them to do here.

He said:

“It’s difficult for young people. We’ve seen youth services cut and teenagers have nowhere to go in Harrogate.”

Mr Timothy believes transport is a big issue for residents in the division and he says they have been let down by the Conservative administration in Northallerton.

He said:

“Their record on transport has been really poor. We’ve seen how the Station Gateway has got to a point where it now just looks like a face-saving exercise. It’s not worth the £12m quid spent on it.

“The roads are full of potholes too, patched up on the cheap.”

With his scientific background, he’s looked into a Scottish company that fills in potholes using recycled plastic. He believes it’s the sort of innovative approach needed to get the roads in a better condition.

The Lib Dems have had some bad press lately due to their leader Sir Ed Davey getting dragged into the Post Office scandal and the shock resignation of Pat Marsh, which led to the by-election.

If he’s going to be elected, he’ll need to win over the supporters of the long-serving councillor.

Mr Timothy said “it was right she was suspended and resigned” but that she also “did a lot of good over 30 years”.

Voters go to the polls on April 11 and Mr Timothy wants to be a forensic presence on North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s an asset that I’m coming in from a scientific background. I have the literacy to scrutinise the administration properly.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election preview: Geoff Foxall, Labour

Labour are predicted to win a landslide at the next general election and Geoff Foxall is hoping some of that optimism will rub off on his campaign to become the new councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone.

He believes John Ennis and the Conservatives “don’t stand a chance” so he hopes people who typically vote tactically for the Lib Dems will feel confident enough to vote Labour this time.

Mr Foxall said:

“We have to try and persuade voters in the division it’s worth voting Labour in this by-election. I would say in Harrogate voters are pretty smart.”

Born and raised in Harrogate, he was a councillor for Labour on Harrogate Borough Council for eight years in the 1990s.

He’s also a former teacher in the town and has been saddened at how council finances and public services have been squeezed.

He said:

“The changes have accelerated over the last 14 years since the coalition. I’ve never witnessed so much diminishing of the budgets coming from central government. It’s had an impact on all services. As the Labour group on North Yorkshire Council, we’ve got to try and increase that funding.”

Mr Foxall was a campaigner against the relief road through the Nidd Gorge and is a board member of Long Lands Common, the community woodland between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He also organises weekly walks for elderly residents and says improving social care and helping people to live independently is an issue he’s passionate about.

He said traffic and congestion are a huge issue in the division, particularly around Wetherby Road, and would like to see a park-and-ride scheme introduced for Harrogate and improvements to buses.

He added:

“Harrogate has already started operating electric buses but we would aim to require all public transport road vehicles to be electric by 2030 as well as all the council’s own vehicles.”

Mr Foxall is optimistic about his chances and hopes he can be a bold voice for Harrogate on North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“Harrogate has been controlled by Conservatives and Lib Dems for years with little growth or progress. Just look at the mess they have made of the Station Gateway project. Labour in Harrogate can provide the change that is needed.”

The by-election will take place on Thursday April 11. For more information visit the council’s website.

A full list of candidates is below:

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Harrogate Greens report Lib Dems to police for by-election leaflet

The Green Party candidate in the forthcoming Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election in Harrogate has reported the Liberal Democrats to the police.

The by-election for a seat on North Yorkshire Council will take place on April 11 following the resignation of former Lib Dem councillor Pat Marsh, who posted anti-semitic comments on social media.

The cost of the by-election is expected to be £15,000.

Andrew Timothy, the Lib Dem candidate, sent out a leaflet saying ‘the Green’s (sic) have stood down this election’.

But the Harrogate and District Green Party has chosen Gilly Charters to contest the division, as reported by the Stray Ferret on March 11.

Ms Charters said her husband and political agent, Ian, had contacted North Yorkshire Police and he was due to be interviewed about the matter on April 1.

She said voters were confused by the leaflet and the by-election might even have to be re-run “if the police find electoral malfeasance”.

The leaflet urges postal voters to ‘return your postal vote in the next few days’.

Ms Charters said:

“I want the Lib Dems to write to their postal voters with first class stamps and very clearly say ‘we are terribly sorry, Gilly Charters is standing for the Green Party’. It would retract what has gone out.”

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said:

“A small number of leaflets were printed in error. We stopped delivering them when we realised our mistake.

“Our future campaign materials will make clear this election is a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, and that Labour and Green candidates cannot win.”

Mr Charters described that as “nonsense”, adding:

“A lot has changed since the last election here in 2022. Polling for the Conservatives has gone down and down and down. It’s not straightforward.”

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Harrogate Greens accuse Lib Dems of telling ‘blatant lie’ on by-election leaflet

The Green Party has reacted angrily to a Liberal Democrat leaflet that wrongly says they are not putting forward a candidate in the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election.

Campaigning is underway for the by-election which will take place on April 11 following the resignation of former councillor Pat Marsh.

Gilly Charters is standing for the Greens in the division, but she was contacted by two supporters over the weekend who asked if she was stepping down after they read a leaflet credited to Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Timothy.

The leaflet urges voters to submit their postal votes before the deadline and describes the race as being between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

It says Labour “came a distant third last time” and “the Green’s (sic) have stood down this election.”

Arnold Warneken, Green Party councillor for Ouseburn, was campaigning in the division on Sunday. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the leaflet includes a “blatant lie” about the Greens standing down.

He said:

“I am angry, all these people are out there working hard for us. There should be a sense of mutual respect. The Lib Dems need to read what they put through people’s letterboxes.”

The Lib Dem leaflet.

The Greens did not put forward a candidate the last time the division was contested in 2022 because Cllr Warneken said they supported Pat Marsh.

The party has made a formal complaint about the leaflet to North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Police for a breach of the Elections Act 2022.

The LDRS asked the Liberal Democrats to respond but they declined.

However, we have seen a direct message on social media platform X from a local Lib Dem official that blamed an external printing company for the error.

Cllr Warneken called it a “limp excuse”.

The direct message said:

“The letter that went out on Saturday was printed by an external printer who printed an earlier draft of the letter that was neither approved by the candidate nor the election agent. At no point was the intent to mislead anyone. There is going to be a correction issued once we’ve taken the appropriate advice from party HQ.”

A full list of candidates in the by-election is below:

Conservative – John Ennis

Green – Gilly Charters

Labour – Geoff Foxhall

Liberal Democrat – Andrew Timothy

Reform – John Swales

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Labour and Reform UK by-election candidates reveal Harrogate priorities

Labour and Reform UK’s candidates in a forthcoming Harrogate by-election have spoken of their priorities if elected.

Voters in Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone will go to the polls on April 11 to vote for a successor on North Yorkshire Council to Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who resigned after making anti-semitic posts on social media.

Labour and Reform UK were the last two parties to reveal who they had selected after the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens previously announced candidates.

In a press release, Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party described its candidate, Geoff Foxall, as “a tireless community campaigner in Harrogate, where he has lived all his life, working as a teacher at Harrogate High School then school governor at Harrogate High, Harrogate College, the grammar school, and Starbeck school in retirement”.

It added he was an advocate for public libraries, a community archaeologist, and keen walker.

Mr Foxall said:

“If elected, I will work passionately to deliver a fresh start for the area that I love and for the town where I was born and have lived in my entire life.

“My eight years as a Labour councillor on Harrogate District Council including four years as group leader, have given me the experience to hold the Conservative council to account for poor quality roads, unreliable public transport, and cuts to our public services. The North Yorkshire Labour Group is influential and growing and if elected I would join their ranks to advocate for a fairer and stronger North Yorkshire.

“As chair of Starbeck Residents Association I was active in opposing a relief road through the Nidd Gorge and creating a community woodland in the green belt between Harrogate and Knaresborough. I have also opposed overdevelopment in the Starbeck and Kingsley Road areas of Harrogate.

“My priorities if elected would be to bring together politicians and community groups from all walks of life to deliver improved roads, better and more reliable public transport, and investment in our care services and local schools.”

Reform candidate focused on station gateway

Harrogate-born Jonathan Swales, whose family were the original owners of Yorkshire Farmers Limited and Swales (Harrogate) Wholesale Fruit and Veg businesses, will attempt to become Reform UK’s second North Yorkshire councillor after Cllr Mike Jordan’s defected to the party.

A press release announcing his candidacy said he was married to fine artist Helen, with whom he has two children, and has “extensive management and business experience, having held a number of senior level management, and director roles in the construction industry”.

Mr Swales said:

“I am very proud of my Harrogate roots, and Yorkshire heritage.

“As a local resident I am well aware of the local issues that people are concerned about and how national issues feed into local issues. I share the frustration when people’s views are just ignored.”

Mr Swales cited the Harrogate Gateway Project as one of his priorities. He said:

“A failing of the process around that project was that local councillors didn’t engage with council cabinet members and council officers. There was an opportunity to influence, and get a better outcome, that opportunity was lost.

“Everyone wants a better town centre, and this project could have been part of that overall improvement, but we now have a scheme that doesn’t really deliver anything for anyone — and that includes the cyclists, people on foot or people arriving by bus or train.

“In the Stray,  Woodlands and Hookstone division, there are also planning matters, such as the racket courts near to Hookstone Woods. Then there are the ongoing concerns of potholes, roads being used for click-throughs, and the area being used for parking by the schools and the hospital.”

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Reform UK leader Richard Tice said the party was building a base in North Yorkshire and the by-election would give an indication of how people may vote in the general election, when Richard Brown will contest Harrogate and Knaresborough for Reform UK. Mr Tice added:

“No longer will Harrogate be a Conservative vs Lib Dem, it will be ‘vote Reform UK, get Reform UK’.”

The full list of by-election candidates is:

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Residents of the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division have until midnight on Friday, March 22, to register to vote and until 5pm on Monday, March 25, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post they have until 5pm on Wednesday, April 3, to apply for a proxy vote.

 

Five candidates to contest Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election

Five candidates will contest a North Yorkshire Council by-election in Harrogate next month.

Nominations for the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division seat have closed with voters going to the polls on Thursday, April 11.

The by-election is being held following the resignation of Liberal Democrat Pat Marsh, who posted anti-semitic comments on social media.

The candidates are:

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

Residents of the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division have until midnight on Friday, March 22, to register to vote and until 5pm on Monday, March 25, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post they have until 5pm on Wednesday, April 3, to apply for a proxy vote.

Voters attending the polling station will need to bring photo ID to be able to vote.

This could include a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, full or provisional; a UK passport or a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man, or any of the Channel Islands; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone without an accepted form of ID should apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, April 3.

You can register to vote here and apply for a postal vote here. You can apply for voter ID here.

More information on the by-election is available here.

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