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29
Jul 2020
Exclusive: Ex-MP Phil Willis calls on 'amateur councillors' to step back from convention centre
Former Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis has called on “amateur councillors” at Harrogate Borough Council to step back from their involvement with the convention centre.
In his first interview since he left office ten years ago, Lord Willis of Knaresborough, as he is now known, told The Stray Ferret that local businesses need to have a greater say in how the “highly specialised and highly competitive” business is run — or else Harrogate's unique vibrancy could fail.
He said:
Lord Willis, who was Harrogate & Knaresborough’s MP from 1997 to 2010, still lives near York and said he has kept an eye on local politics.
He said it made “good sense” for HBC to allow the NHS use the site as a Nightingale hospital – but said there “was no long term planning to see what happens when they move out”.
He added:
Before becoming MP, Lord Willis was the leader of HBC running a Liberal Democrat council. In 1990 when he took up the role, the conference centre was haemorrhaging money.
He estimates that two out of every three pounds of council tax that was collected at that time went to financing its debts.
During this period, Lord Willis was chair of the convention centre board and said they placed more decision making in the hands of local businessmen, including John Hardy and Richard Hanwell.
Lord Willis said they brought the dynamism required to make the convention centre a success in the 1990s.
He said:
Read more:
£60m or £35m: What is the value of Harrogate Convention Centre to the district?
District businesses’ ‘dismay’ over plans for £46.8m convention centre upgrade
Regarding the convention centre's future, Lord Willis said HBC has failed to come up with a modern vision for the site.
He suggested they could be trying to target more American-style comic book, movie or videogame events.
He said:
Last week HBC announced it planned to spend £1.1 million on detailed design and project work for the facility, potentially leading to a major £47 million investment.
However, Lord Willis said this is only worthwhile if HBC has a sound plan, which he doubts.
He said:
The Stray Ferret has asked current Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones for his thoughts on the future of the convention centre but he has so far declined to comment.
Tomorrow The Stray Ferret will publish part two of our interview with Lord Willis, where he talks about how Harrogate town centre could be reinvigorated and whether the House of Lords should move to Yorkshire.
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