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Apr 2022
Dispute over Harrogate council by-election raised in House of Lords
A dispute over the decision not to hold a by-election in the Harrogate district has reached the House of Lords.
Following the death of Conservative Cllr Normal Waller at the end of January, Harrogate Borough Council has announced a by-election will not be held in Marston Moor.
The ward includes the villages Tockwith, Cattal and Bilton-in-Ainsty.
The council said a routine election was due to take place within six months of Cllr Waller's death, meaning a by-election would not be needed.
Norman Waller
However, that election has since been cancelled, as all existing HBC councillors have had their terms extended by a year while the new North Yorkshire Council is set up.
Confirming the decision, the council said:
However, the decision has been criticised by former councillor Arnold Warneken, who was intending to stand for the Green Party in the by-election.
Read more:
- 'Respected and admired' Harrogate councillor dies
- Key dates revealed for elections to new North Yorkshire Council
Mr Warneken highlighted the inconsistency with Wathvale ward, where a by-election is set to be held on May 5 following the retirement of Cllr Bernard Bateman. He said:
House of Lords
Now, the issue has been raised by Baroness Natalie Bennett of Manor Castle in the House of Lords.
Baroness Bennett, a former leader of the Green Party, submitted a question to the government on Wednesday about its correspondence with HBC about holding a by-election in Marston Moor after the planned local elections were cancelled. The government has two weeks to provide a response.
Harrogate Borough Council yesterday reiterated that its decision about Marston Moor was made before the planned elections for the district were cancelled. The decision to hold a by-election in Wathvale was made after this date.
The by-election for Wathvale takes place on Thursday, May 5. It is the same day that voters across North Yorkshire will go to the polls to elect their representatives for the new county-wide unitary authority.
Over the next year, work will take place to set up North Yorkshire Council ready to take over from the existing county council and seven district councils, including Harrogate, next spring.
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