In the run up to Christmas and New Year, Julian has been busy in Westminster and across Skipton and Ripon. He was particularly pleased with developments regarding our local NHS and further support for farmers and landscape initiatives.
First though, fantastic news came in the form of the latest update from the Office for National Statistics, which confirmed that inflation has now more than halved, dropping from 10.1 per cent in January to 3.9 per cent in November. Similarly, energy prices have fallen by almost 55 per cent, with the energy price cap from 1st January 2024 set at £1,928, down from £4,279 on 1st January 2023.
Further good news has also come in this month for our local NHS. Airedale Hospital, which will be rebuilt by 2030 as part of the New Hospitals Programme, will receive additional funding next financial year, to go to the enabling works that will be necessary to prepare the site for construction. Once completed, it will allow residents across the Craven area to access lifesaving care in a new, world-class facility for decades to come. This came on top of the news that the Government has delivered on its manifesto promise to recruit an additional 50,000 nurses, six months ahead of schedule. New figures show that, by September, there were 51,245 more nurses in the NHS than in 2019, bringing the total to 352,000. In the North East and Yorkshire, this will mean an additional 7,006 nurses, or a rise of 14 per cent since 2019. Finally, North Yorkshire was allocated £1,137,090 as part of the £40 million fund for local authorities to strengthen urgent and emergency care resilience and performance this winter. This will help speed up hospital discharge, boost social care provision and prevent avoidable hospital admissions. Measures such as this have resulted in a 9 per cent drop in the number of patients staying in hospital after they are ready to be discharged, when compared to October last year, freeing up space on wards and helping flow through the system.
The Government has also continued to prioritise support for our vital farming communities. The second round of Slurry Infrastructure grants, worth £74 million and building on the £34 million made available in Round 1, was opened. The scheme offers cattle and pig farms grants of £25,000 - £250,000 to upgrade their slurry storage, helping farmers to make better use of organic fertilisers while cutting pollution and their input costs. Round 2 has also been significantly improved based on feedback from farmers and industry, with new items and flexibilities designed to support different farm models and increase environmental outcomes. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs also confirmed that the ‘Denton Park Estate’, ‘Ure Dales’ and ‘Heart of the Dales’ projects in Skipton and Ripon have been awarded funding through the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme. Landscape Recovery is one of the three Environmental Land Management schemes available to farmers in England as we continue the transition away from direct payments to the new funding style. It funds long-term, large-scale, bespoke projects designed to enhance the natural environment and deliver significant environmental benefits alongside the sustainable production of food.
As well as meetings with his ministerial colleagues, Julian was pleased to welcome Thomas and Jane Marshall to Westminster. Thomas is the national chairman of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association and it was a useful opportunity to talk over their upcoming conference in February and wider issues within the caravan industry, as well as some local ones in Bentham. Alongside a busy month in Westminster, Julian has enjoyed his visits and engagements across Skipton and Ripon. To start things off, he visited Moorside Primary School to speak to pupils from years 5 and 6 about his role as an MP and answer their questions. After talking about what he does day-to-day as their local Member of Parliament, Julian answered some wide-ranging questions, from dangerous driving to the Government’s proposals on smoking and vaping.
He was also pleased to hear that Theakston Brewery, a much-loved, independent brewing company founded nearly two hundred years ago and based in Masham, welcomed the support for pubs set out in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. Julian visited Theakston’s and met with Simon Theakston, Joint Managing Director, who outlined how the family brewery was looking to the future with a renewed sense of optimism following the Chancellor’s latest announcements. The visit was also an opportunity to find out more about the not-for-profit organisation ‘Pub is The Hub’, of which Simon is Chairman. Founded with the help of King Charles III in 2001, it is dedicated to improving community services and activities by offering advice and support to publicans and their communities.
Julian visited Fisher Medical Centre to find out about how the practice is run and thank staff for all their hard work in the run up to Christmas, as well as Skipton Jobcentre, to learn more about their work supporting people into jobs. Towards the end of the month, Julian met with Colin Coleman and Chris Hirst, Chair and Trustee of the Settle Area Swimming Pool, to discuss some of the difficulties it is currently facing. He was also delighted to announce the winner of his annual Christmas Card Competition. After hundreds of submissions by pupils from schools across Skipton and Ripon and careful deliberation by Julian and his parliamentary team, Georgia Harling (age 9) from Kildwick CE VC Primary School was selected as the winner. Her design formed the cover of Julian’s official Christmas cards, which went out to hundreds of people in Westminster and across the constituency.
December saw Julian’s attendance at the quarterly Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee meeting. The meeting is a chance for councillors to put questions to Julian on topics ranging from planning committees and broadband connectivity to local bus services and fuel prices. It also saw Julian challenge McCarthy & Stone over serious concerns raised by two constituents, who met Julian at one of his regular surgeries. Following the meeting, Julian wrote to McCarthy & Stone, demanding answers to the issues brought to his attention.
If there is anything that Julian is able to help you with, or if you would like to meet him at one of his regular surgeries, please do contact him at [email protected]
