| It wasn't the main headline on the day Home Secretary Priti Patel announced plans to forcibly send to Rwanda thousands of asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in unauthorised Channel crossings. But a huge proposed 'Greek-style' reception centre for asylum seekers in the quiet North Yorkshire village of Linton-on-Ouse is now prompting a major backlash, not least from its own Conservative MP. Yesterday Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake wrote to Ms Patel to spell out how the "small rural village of Linton-on-Ouse" was unsuitable for the centre, which he fears would house up to "1,500 young, male asylum seekers" As Sebastian McCormick reports for YorkshireLive, the loyalist Tory MP fears the asylum seekers would be unable to access services due to its location on an isolated former RAF base adjoining the village.  Home Secretary Priti Patel and Kevin Hollinrake. Image: Lisa Walsh
In his letter, which he published online, he said: "It [Linton-on-Ouse] is located 10 miles North of York and there are only around 4 buses per day. There is very limited access to GP and health services and NHS dentistry is not available at any local surgeries. "We have to acknowledge that whilst most asylum seekers of any demographic will be decent and law-abiding, in a population of up to 1500 (the number given to me by Home Office ministers and officials) young single men there are bound to be some that are not." Mr Hollinrake pointed towards the case of Rivenhall, in Ms Patel's own Hampshire constituency. He said Linton only had a population of 1,200 while Witham had 25,000 residents and the smaller centre suggested for Witham was rejected by the Home Office as there was "a failure to recognise that Rivenhall is not a major conurbation". He believes the centre will qualify as a "material change in use of the land" and will therefore require a planning application, which he pledged to oppose.  Kevin Hollinrake's tweet
A Home Office spokesman pointed us to a factsheet about the Linton site and said: "The asylum reception centre at Linton, North Yorkshire, is one of our many sites which will provide safe and self-sufficient accommodation for asylum seekers including provisions for healthcare, faith and other activities. Services onsite will minimise the impact on those provided to the local community. "Anyone accommodated at Linton will have undergone a robust screening process, and the Home Office is committed to working closely with the local community to ensure the site operates safely and securely." 
Kevin Hollinrake isn't the only MP lobbying government about an unpopular facility in his constituency, as The Northern Echo reports. North West Durham MP Richard Holden is challenging plans for Consett's Highfield House to be used to house high-risk offenders. The Tory recently met Justice Minister Kit Malthouse to discuss the proposals. And he said: "Everyone wants those who have served their sentences to be able to rebuild their lives and have a second chance. However, putting high and very-high risk offenders right in the heart of a small town near so many important local facilities would be totally inappropriate."
'Our smart motorways are the safest in Europe, if not the world'  A coroner has warned the lack of a hard shoulder on the M1 smart motorway in South Yorkshire contributed to the deaths of two men
They've been hugely controversial in the 16 years since they were first introduced. Smart motorways use the hard shoulder as an extra lane of traffic, but critics claim they have led to road deaths. And the country's highways boss has responded to warnings from his own staff about Greater Manchester's Smart Motorways - insisting 'they're the safest roads in Europe, if not the world'. Duncan Smith, executive director of operations at National Highways, spoke to Charlotte Cox of the Manchester Evening News following a series of complaints from traffic officers around faulty signs, signals, CCTV, stranded drivers, and issues around staffing levels which they claimed were impacting driver safety on the M62 Junctions 10-12. But Mr Smith insisted the debate around the safety of the high-tech roads, which are equipped with electronic signals, signs, radars, speed and vehicle counters and CCTV, was an 'emotional' one, with the statistics proving there are in fact less accidents on smart motorways than on conventional roads. He said: "We believe that they are the safest roads, they are our safest roads and all our roads are the safest in Europe, if not the world. We know the statistics bear that out but we also know that there is a perception of safety for some people who use it."
Is Strictly a conspiracy to restore reputation of Labour politicians?  Could former Strictly star Ed Balls return to politics? (Image: Birmingham Mail)
With a by-election looming in Wakefield, the buzz at Westminster is over the possible return of former Cabinet Minister Ed Balls to be Labour's candidate in a spectacular return to frontline politics. The ex-shadow chancellor has made a name for himself as an entertainer and presenter, most notably on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, since losing his Morley and Outwood seat to Andrea Jenkyns in 2015. And a successful run for the seat about to be vacated by disgraced Imran Ahmad Khan would mean Mr Balls would hold the neighbouring constituency to his wife, Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper. But amid the speculation, former Labour Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker has spotted a pattern. The Corbynista, who lost her seat in the 2019 election, tweeted: "I have been saying for several years now that programmes like Strictly have been a strategy to build up for the return of the Blairites." Her tweet, described as a "conspiracy theory about the BBC", was shared widely on Twitter with many puzzled that a former ally of ex-PM Gordon Brown could be described as a 'Blairite'. And she later clarified: "My point was about former politicians using our most popular light entertainment programmes to relaunch, or further their careers. Clearly my suggestion has hit a nerve."
'Dad, I want to be a drug dealer when I grow up'  Drug crime is leaving many 'afraid' to visit West Yorkshire, it is claimed (Image: Getty)
Its top schools, interesting shops and spectacular scenery recently saw Ilkley named the UK's best place to live by the Sunday Times. But the town's MP has described in Parliament how his constituency is being "plagued" by drug crime, leaving many "afraid" to visit certain areas. Keighley MP Robbie Moore told a Westminster Hall debate how drug crime is happening in "all parts" of his West Yorkshire patch. And the Tory backbencher called for "urgent" government action as he revealed how one constituent had shared fears that his young son was being exposed to a life of crime. He said: "When I was first elected, one of the first constituency meetings was with a father who came along to tell me that his 13 year old son had come home from school one day saying, in all innocence, 'Dad, I know exactly what I want to do when I'm older' and that was to become a drug dealer. "That wasn't because this 13 year old saw it as something it was good to aspire to, because he is seeing people driving around chiefly in blacked out cars, fancy cars, and we all know what those individuals are driving and we know where that money comes from. This father was heartbroken."
Tory urges PM to introduce 'Minister for Men'  Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher, Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman and Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. Image: Lisa Walsh
He raised eyebrows last year by suggesting young men were committing crime because positive male role models on TV have been replaced by female characters on shows like Doctor Who. And yesterday Conservative Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher urged Boris Johnson to discuss with him the merits of having a "minister for men". The MP, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Issues Affecting Men and Boys, raised the issue of men dying "so much younger than they should" during Prime Minister's questions. He also urged Mr Johnson to look into the "benefits" of a Men's Health Strategy. The Prime Minister said he is "determined to tackle all the health conditions" described by Mr Fletcher, including "mental health and suicide prevention".
Another eye-catching Commons intervention by a Northern MP yesterday saw Huddersfield's Barry Sheerman call for a journalist to lose his parliamentary pass over a "sexist" and "misogynistic" description of a politician. Mr Sheerman criticised Quentin Letts, parliamentary sketch writer for The Times, over comments he made about Lyn Brown, Labour MP for West Ham, in yesterday's edition of the paper. But Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle dismissed a suggestion to suspend Mr Letts's pass, noting the importance of the "freedom of the press". Mr Letts wrote: "In an area normally reserved for deputy Speakers sat Lyn Brown (Lab, West Ham). 'Yep!' she kept clucking. 'Shameful!' A popping of her lacquered eyes. 'Disgraceful!' she spat, with a tweak of head and prim patting of hairdo. 'Unbelievable! COWARD!!!!' She was making such a racket that everyone kept looking her way." The writer turned his attentions to Mr Sheerman in today's sketch, describing him as a "shrivelled gooseberry of a fool who has represented Huddersfield in the Labour interest since roughly the Napoleonic Wars".
Get a job, MP tells anti-Brexit campaigner  Dr Kieran Mullan got into an argument with activist Steve Bray in London (Image: Steve Bray)
Not far from Parliament, a Cheshire MP told an activist to 'get a job' 22 times during a public spat which ended up on social media, as Alex McIntyre reports for CheshireLive. Crewe and Nantwich's Conservative representative Dr Kieran Mullan was filmed engaged in an argument with anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray, known for his regular protests in London. In the video posted on Mr Bray's Twitter account @snb19692, the campaigner can be seen in his trademark hat confronting Dr Mullan. He first refers to Boris Johnson as a 'lying pig of a Prime Minister', which comes shortly after Mr Johnson's statement about his Partygate fine. MPs were this afternoon set to vote on whether the PM should be subject to a misconduct investigation. Dr Mullan replies with 'get a job' multiple times, a phrase he would say throughout the footage along with 'who pays you'. Mr Bray then replies by saying 'I pay your wages' before Dr Mullan hits back with 'you have to be a taxpayer to do that', to which Mr Bray says: "I'm a taxpayer you muppet." The latter also said he was self-employed before Dr Mullan again said: "Who pays you?" Mr Bray then retorts by describing Dr Mullan as an 'absolute disgrace'.
E-Scooters could return to the streets of Rochdale  A Lime E-scooter in action. Similar schemes are in operation across the North
E-scooters are becoming a common sight around the North, with trials for the new green vehicles in Newcastle, York, Middlesbrough and Salford among others in the North. And in Rochdale, council chiefs say they could yet return to the borough's streets of Rochdale despite calling time on a controversial trial. Run by Lime – which has scooters in 125 cities – the year-long pilot came to an end last month, with council chiefs opting not to extend the scheme by six months. Lime says it has been a 'great success', with some 12,000 trips made by 3,000 riders since April last year. But there were complaints about scooters being dumped in the river and canal, as well as reports they were being 'abandoned' on pavements rather than parked at docking stations. While Salford chose to extend its Lime e-scooter trial last month, local authority chiefs in Rochdale have taken a different view. Senior council officer Paul Moore says the authority 'remains committed to exploring the options around sustainable urban transport'.
'Taxpayer shouldn't end up holding the baby on freeport plans'  The SeAH Wind Ltd factory was part of a fully developed vision for Able Marine Energy Park on the South Humber Bank (Image: Able UK/SeAH Wind Ltd)
A question mark has been thrown over the new Humber Freeport company after a wind farm manufacturer snubbed the region by announcing plans to open a new £200m factory in Teesside. Financial modelling on how the low-tax scheme will operate was partly based on South Korean steel monopile maker SeAH Wind being an anchor tenant at the new Able Marine Energy Park on the South Bank. Instead, the firm recently confirmed it was opening a new facility on the Tees where it will create 750 new jobs, writes Angus Young for HullLive. The Able site is one of three tax zones within the Humber Freeport, part of the government's post-Brexit policy aimed at promoting investment zones at ports around the UK where local firms will see lower taxes and other benefits. With the new Humber Freeport unlikely to be financially self-supporting for at least three years, the region's four local councils are in the process of signing off a pooled £3m loan to cover its start-up costs. Now SeAH's switch to the rival Teesside Freeport has added to the uncertainty around its finances. Hull councillor John Fareham told a scrutiny meeting: "The Freeport is largely for the benefit of commerce and employers and while the public purse does get some benefit it shouldn't end up holding the baby as it were." 
Sign up to The Northern Agenda Has a friend forwarded you this edition of The Northern Agenda? You can sign up to receive the latest email newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by clicking on this link.  Northern Stories  Some static bollards are already in place in York's Parliament Street
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York's community safety chief has hit back at claims that installing anti-terrorist bollards in the city is a "pointless waste of money". Janet Mowat, City of York Council's head of community safety, said there was no intelligence indicating the city specifically is under imminent threat, but that failing to put in permanent security measures would leave York at risk of a hostile vehicle attack. The measures, a mixture of fixed and sliding bollards, are controversial because blue badge holders are banned from parking in the footstreets area which the bollards are designed to protect, writes Local Democracy Reporter Joe Cooper. -
Lancashire residents have banded together to oppose plans to develop 94 acres of countryside earmarked for new commercial buildings in which the billionaire Issa brothers have an interest. The residents group opposes the inclusion of the green fields between Belthorn and Guide near the M65's Junction 5 in Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's draft Local Plan for job-creating development. Monte Blackburn Ltd, the property arm of Mohsin and Zuber Issa's business empire which bought Asda last year, has a legal option on the land. -
The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust is looking to fill 250 jobs - ranging from consultant surgeons to nurses to hospital support staff - as it looks forward to opening its new £20m day-surgery centre at the city's Freeman Hospital. The new building - set to be complete in August and to open in the weeks following - will expand the hospital trust's surgery capacity with four new theatres. It will deal with cases that don't require hospital admission overnight, and NHS bosses hope it will help eat into huge treatment backlogs. -
The coalition between ex-Labour rebels and independent councillors at Liverpool Town Hall has given itself a name. The new eight-strong political grouping, formed when five Labour councillors formally resigned from the party after being suspended when they voted against the annual budget and paired with three other ex-party members, will be known as the Liverpool Community Independents. The group has renamed its social media account, formerly known as Suspended Liverpool Labour councillors. -
A Lancashire councillor cautioned by the police and suspended by the Labour Party over an assault during a break in a council meeting has resigned. Former Overton ward representative Michael Hindley has quit his position on Hyndburn Council with immediate effect. This leaves the authority finely politically balanced with local elections on May 5, writes Local Democracy Reporter Bill Jacobs. 
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