Long-serving county councillors go on hunger strike over treatment of pensioners

North York Moors farmer John Clark launched the protest outside County Hall, in Northallerton, and was joined by Stuart Parsons, an Independent member for Richmond after the pair said they had exhausted all other avenues to raise their concerns about the authority's "abuse" of people it was legally responsible for.

The pair, who have served on councils in the county for a total of 48 years, said they would continue the "extreme action" for as long as it took North Yorkshire County Council to implement sweeping changes to processes surrounding the care of those who were unable to complain.

Councillor John Clark, who is on hunger strike outside County Hall, in Northallerton Picture: Simon Thackray

Councillor John Clark outside County Hall, Northallerton Picture: Simon Thackray

Cllr Clark, a Liberal, of Cropton, near Pickering, said: "I will stay here until the council's cleansing department clears a pile of bones from their doorstep.

"While the adult health and social care services are under-funded, this is not a question of money, it is a question of administration. The council is getting it wrong considerably more than it is getting it right."

The action comes just days after a North Yorkshire nursing home, which had been inspected by the council, was fined £1.6m for letting a 91-year-old dementia sufferer freeze to death.

Councillor Parsons said the cases they had been inspired by were "just the tip of the iceberg", and there would be hundreds of other vulnerable people suffering whose cases had not come to their attention.

Both men said they planned to remain outside County Hall 24 hours a day and would only drink water.

Cllr Clark said the mistreatment of the 90-year-old woman had been raised with authorities for three years to no avail.

He said: "This elderly resident is unable to ask for, let alone demand, her rights. On the hottest day of September for 100 years the resident received only 170ml of liquid.

“I am going on hunger strike to represent the plight of the resident and her family."

Cllr Parsons said he had been inspired to join Cllr Clark's protest by the plight of a 75-year-old Richmond resident who, due to the county council's actions, had been left with £30 a week to live on, due to the authority being driven by processes rather than care.

He said: "Sometimes we have to say enough is enough and extreme action is required. The council has no money, but it has a statutory duty to safeguard.

"I sent the council an email about the appalling situation headed urgent in early August, but have not received a reply."

The councillors said they had held a meeting with senior officers of the authority and had been told to expect a response in the next couple of days.

A council spokesman said: "North Yorkshire County Council takes all safeguarding issues involving vulnerable people extremely seriously; it is our highest priority. In this respect our councillors are raising legitimate issues of public interest.

"We continue to work closely with CQC as the regulator to address issues of poor care. When care falls below the high standards we require we intervene as quickly as possible to address this.

"The issues raised by the Richmond case is about families’ contributions to the financial costs of care. Whenever families raise difficulties about their financial contributions we look into their circumstances and make adjustments if required – as in this case.

"Like all councils North Yorkshire is facing ever rising demand for adult social care. We support 7,000 people every year, including 2,000 that require residential care. Nevertheless it remains our priority and we have protected care spending to a greater extent than many other councils; we now spend over 35 per cent of our budget on the social care of older people and vulnerable adults."