Friday 13 May, 2022

CONFUSION over voting for East Riding Council’s vice chair almost saw the opposition Liberal Democrats’ candidate elected at yesterday’s annual meeting of the authority. First, the ruling Conservative group members abstained on a vote to elect Liberal Democrat Cllr Phil Davison vice chair, the authority’s equivalent of a deputy mayor. Then, realising that meant Cllr Davison would be elected, they demanded the vote be taken again.  

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr David Nolan called for the vote to stand, but Conservative candidate Cllr Pauline Greenwood won after Cllr John Whittle allowed it to be held again. It followed the election of Cllr Whittle, independent member for North Holderness, as chair at the same meeting.

The meeting also saw the number of members of the Planning Committee increased to 13 after Liberal Democrats asked for their Deputy Leader, Cllr Denis Healy, to be put on. Cllr Nolan said that committee and others needed to represent councillors from all groups more fairly. His request came after a recent row over allegations Conservative Planning Committee members were meeting to orchestrate decisions before hearings. 

THE NUMBER of pregnant women in the East Riding who still smoke when they are due to give birth has hit a record low. The Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust says smoking in pregnancy has been an on-going concern in the Humber and North Yorkshire for many years, with numbers remaining over the 10% threshold for some time, increasing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), low birth weight and a far-reaching impact on their health throughout their life.

Now, latest figures show that for the first time in the East Riding, the number of mums-to-be still smoking was below 10% at 9.2%. The national average is 10.6%.