'Huge debt of gratitude to exhausted firefighters' - Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume's monthly column
It’s certainly been a glorious summer so far which is good news for sunseekers and our tourism industry on the coast.
Not such great news for our tireless firefighters who are working to contain the wildfire at Langdale Moor near Fylingdales as I write this column.
The major incident has brought hot weather, ever changing winds, exploding munitions, dense forest and peatland in a demanding ask of North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and the agencies involved in managing the complex situation.
Local farmers, the MoD and businesses have all played their part.
If there is anything positive to come out of this fire, it is the sight of the community coming together.
For the exhausted firefighters, news of the second fire on the A171 between Whitby and Scarborough could not have come at a worst time.
We owe the men and women who put themselves in danger time and time again a huge debt of gratitude.
Like many other people, I’ve got some wonderful memories of the Whitby Cliff Lift dating all the way back to my childhood.
More recently, I was a frequent user with my three children when we rented a chalet for our summer holidays.
The lift has been closed since 2022 and the cost of repairing it is of course a cause for concern.
However, I don’t believe filling it in is the right thing to do.
The cliff lift is essential for accessibility and as well as being part of the town’s heritage, it fulfils a practical role.
I’ve asked North Yorkshire Council to consult the people of Whitby on the future of the cliff lift.
When you first elected me as your MP, I said I wanted to be Scarborough and Whitby’s voice in Westminster.
Not Westminster’s voice in Scarborough and Whitby.
That’s why I continue to raise the efforts of residents in Burniston, who are aiming to prevent a fracking site being green lit on the outskirts of their village, in the House of Commons.
In the latest development, Friends of the Earth has obtained legal advice from one of the UK’s environmental barristers, Estelle Dehon KC, asserting that the “proppant squeeze” technique Europa Oil and Gas are proposing to use does qualify as fracking under relevant planning policy.
It’s another step forward in my campaign to get what I regard as a loophole in the legislation closed.
We are blessed with beautiful countryside.
While it’s heartbreaking to see the photos of the burnt woodland, we can understand the power of nature.
Standing by and allowing the destruction of a glorious pocket just outside the North York Moors National Park for drilling rigs is quite another matter.