Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak has come under fire for failing to attend meetings with North Yorkshire councillors.
Senior Liberal Democrat councillor Bryn Griffiths said the Conservative politician had “no excuse” not to attend now he was no longer the Prime Minister.
Cllr Griffiths, who represents the Stokesley division and is the leader of the Lib Dems group on North Yorkshire Council, said the MP had failed to attend any Richmond area committee meetings since the unitary was formed in 2023.
He said:
“While Mr Sunak may be forgiven for his absence during his time as Prime Minister, now that he is a backbencher, there really is no excuse.
“These meetings are a key opportunity for MPs to connect with their North Yorkshire councillors, to listen to the issues affecting local residents, and to answer questions directly. His continued absence speaks volumes.”
Cllr Griffiths added:
“A three-bullet-point statement read out on his behalf simply isn’t good enough.
“It ignores some of the major issues facing our communities – from the ongoing school transport crisis, to the pollution of our rivers, to the real struggles our market towns and high streets are facing.”
Cllr Griffiths said Mr Sunak has voted in Parliament “only a handful of times over the past year” which he said was in stark contrast to Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, who has voted more than 200 times.
At the Richmond area committee meeting held ysterday (Monday) at County Hall in Northallerton, Mr Sunak sent a written update, while he was represented by constituency communications officer, Malcolm Warne.
At the meeting, Green Party councillor Kevin Foster, who represents the Hipswell and Colburn division, also criticised the MP’s attendance record.
He said:
“I’m very disappointed that the MP doesn’t come to these meetings himself.
“Our other MPs in North Yorkshire come to their committees, so can I request again that the MP comes to our committee to do an annual report like the other MPs do.”
But North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les, Conservative councillor for Catterick Village and Brompton-on-Swale, defended the MP, saying not all MPs attended their area committee and Mr Sunak was the only MP who sent a representative.
In response to the criticism, a spokesman for Mr Sunak said:
“Rishi Sunak continues to effectively represent his constituents.
“Over the last two weeks, he has attended more than 20 events across the Richmond and Northallerton constituency, engaging with multiple communities and groups, and held two surgeries to assist constituents. In addition he has spoken twice in the House of Commons.
“In relation to the council committee, the council invited Mr Sunak to nominate an individual to attend when he was unable to be present.
“A member of his local staff has been co-opted to the committee and attends on a regular basis, in addition to his written update.”
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