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Councillors back creation of Harrogate Town Council

Wednesday, 24 July 2024 15:40

By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors have approved final recommendations for the long-awaited creation of a Harrogate Town Council.

At a meeting in Northallerton today, they agreed on how many members will sit on the town council and when it will be formed.

The new parish of Harrogate will come into effect on April 1 2025 with the first elections taking place a month later.

There will be 19 councillors on the town council who will each represent wards previously used by the defunct Harrogate Borough Council such as Saltergate, Coppice Valley and Valley Gardens.

Just 300 people responded to the third round of public consultation about the town council with 71% backing single councillor wards.

Cllr Michael Harrison (Conservative, Killinghall, Hampsthwaite & Saltergate) said the low response rate shows that the public is comfortable leaving it up to elected officials to decide what happens next.

The town council was set to be created this year until it was delayed as councillors asked to redraw the ward boundaries.

Cllr Peter Lacey (Liberal Democrat, Coppice Valley & Duchy) said the delay had been a disappointment for the people of Harrogate.

He added:

“It’s taken a year longer than it should have. Hopefully, we can move forward quickly with proper local representation.”

With the wards set to mirror those previously used by the now-abolished Harrogate Borough Council, Cllr Paul Haslam (Independent, Bilton & Nidd Gorge) said it could look like HBC is being reinstated, which may be confusing for residents.

There is now less than a year until elections take place but still there are no concrete indications as to what services the town council might provide.

It’s been suggested that residents will pay an additional £40-£60 on top of their annual council tax bill to pay for the running of the council.

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