Minutes:
Ms Hume provided an overview to the committee of
some of her areas of work, concerns and priorities. In respect of the
Government’s budget announcements on 26 November, she advised that an estimated
1850 children living in the constituency were expected to benefit from the
removal of the two-child benefit cap and an estimated 4000 children from the
expansion of free school meals. Ms Hume also referred to the Government’s plans
to support the long-term youth unemployed through guaranteeing six-month work
placements for 16 to 21-year-olds and plans for four new youth hubs in the
Yorkshire and Humber region. She would lobby for at least one of these to be in
the constituency. Lower business rates would benefit around 16,670 retail,
hospitality and leisure properties in North Yorkshire. In relation to gambling,
she was pleased to report that remote gaming and general betting duties would
increase, whilst bingo duty would be abolished in recognition of the social
value of bingo halls. Ms Hume was in dialogue with the Bingo association and
the owners of Mecca bingo to help identify alternative premises in Scarborough
to replace their bingo hall which had recently closed. She supported Government
plans to separate adult gaming centres from lower risk forms of gambling, and
to help local authorities to address gambling clusters because AGCs were
associated with greater risk of harm and were attracted to coastal areas. In
regard to other work, in addition to six local surgeries since the last Area
Committee meeting, Ms Hume had convened a public meeting on the subject of
fracking. The following week she would be meeting with Michael Shanks,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to
press for clarity from Government on fracking, particularly that the fracking
moratorium be extended to all forms of fracking including proppant squeeze
associated with the Burniston drill site planning application which was of such
concern to constituents. Other areas in which Ms Hume had been lobbying the Government
were for Scarborough Hospital once again to provide care for stroke patients;
ensuring that farmers and businesses affected by the Langdale Moor wildfire
received adequate compensation in the same way as for flooding incidents and
that any similar event in future would trigger a national resilience response
because of the critical military infrastructure in the locality; and the
inadequate NHS response to the flooding of Eastfield Medical Centre which had
been out of use since the summer. Thankfully the community had rallied round
and temporary clinical rooms were being made available at a fitness centre in
Eastfield in addition to support from St Cecilia’s Care Group and St
Catherine’s Hospice.
Following this introduction, the issues raised by
elected members and discussed with the MP included:
The Chair thanked Alison Hume MP for her attendance
and her responses to members’ questions.