Former Scarborough & Whitby MP Says Country Better After Tory Rule

Scarborough and Whitby’s former MP Sir Robert Goodwill has reflected on his legacy after representing the coastal constituency for 19 years. 

When he was first elected as Scarborough and Whitby’s MP in 2005, Robert Goodwill had just finished a term in the European Parliament and had won back the constituency for the Conservatives from the then-first-ever Labour MP, Lawrie Quinn. 

Since then, Sir Robert served in several ministerial positions under different prime ministers and said his proudest achievements in Government included the introduction of roadside drug testing and an HGV levy for foreign trucks. 

After deciding to retire at the last election, he was replaced by Labour MP Alison Hume on July 4. 

Reflecting on his time as an MP, Sir Robert said he was particularly proud of helping to deliver Scarborough Hospital’s new emergency care centre, the Towns Deal projects in Scarborough and Whitby, and the Construction Skills Village in Eastfield. 

“Those will be there for many years to come, which is something concrete and will be a lasting legacy for the town,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

He added:

“I think that we have left the United Kingdom in a better place after 14 years of Government than when we came into power in 2010 when the economy was broken […] and the situation was very bad.” 

However, Sir Robert said a “big disappointment” was that a long-promised project to dual the A64 did not go ahead during his time in parliament.

Another contentious debate in recent years has been over poor water quality, including in Scarborough’s South Bay which has a ‘poor’ rating from the Environment Agency. 

In March last year, protestors attached a mock blue plaque to the MP’s constituency office to highlight his voting record on the issue. 

Asked whether he had any regrets over the issue, Sir Robert said that major improvements had taken place following the privatisation of the water industry and that improved monitoring meant that “the perception is that the situation’s got worse but actually, we now know what’s happening”. 

He added that the situation in the South Bay was “much more complex” than just sewage outflow, citing issues with ruminants, bacteria, and seabirds. 

The now-retired member of parliament said that his fondest memories related to “giving a much stronger voice to people whose voices aren’t heard very loudly”. 

“The privilege of being an MP is that often you can sort the problems that people have been trying to deal with for months, sometimes within a few days”. 

He said that these ranged from issues with schools to healthcare and employment. 

Sir Robert told the LDRS that benefit issues had been a particularly common issue when first elected but that problems had “pretty much dried up since the universal credit kit system came in… so actually that’s improved.”

However, Scarborough still has some of the most deprived areas in North Yorkshire as well as high rates of homelessness. 

Asked why that continued to be the case, Sir Robert said that there were places in the town where “you’ve got families where they’ve had four generations without anyone being in work”. 

He added that “if anybody wants a job in Scarborough, they can get a job” and commended the new Labour Government for its plan to “break the cycle of worklessness”. 

Sir Robert also said that actual poverty had “fallen considerably over the years” and noted that Scarborough’s “very competitive” house prices were another sign of relative affordability in the area, unlike in Whitby. 

Asked if there was something he would not miss about being an MP, Sir Robert said:

“I’ve honestly enjoyed every aspect although it is quite nice to wake up on a Monday morning and not have to get on the early train.” 

He also thanked residents “for the tremendous support they’ve given me” and said he had been “proud to represent all of them, not just the ones that voted for me because that’s one of the great things about our democratic system”. 

He wished Alison Hume and the new Labour Government well and added that “I want them to succeed”. 

The former MP also said he would continue to be involved in Conservative Party politics and called for a slow leadership contest with a new leader in place by Christmas. 

On a local level, Sir Robert said he and his wife “won’t be strangers” and would continue to be active with charities, adding:

“The best thing about Scarborough and Whitby is the people, they are fiercely proud of being Yorkshire, they’re fiercely proud of being from the coast, and even people that come to live here very quickly fall in love with the place,” 

“It’s been a tremendous privilege, and I hope that at some point, maybe only five years away, we’ll see a return to a Conservative member of parliament in Scarborough and Whitby.”