The leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council has expressed anger at the loss of the Harrogate Christmas Market and the annual funfair on the Stray.
In a statement sent to the Stray Ferret, Cllr Pat Marsh asked why the council couldn’t have been more supportive of the events and pro-active in making them happen.
She also said there was a danger of the Harrogate district acquiring a “reputation of not welcoming and not being supportive of special events”.
She said:
“The Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council are very angry at the way that annual events are being cancelled.
“First it was the local Christmas market. That meant local artisans won’t be able to sell their products to residents.
“Now we have the annual funfair being cancelled. That is something thousands of young people have enjoyed over many, many years.
“Why has this been allowed to happen? Why couldn’t the council be more supportive?”
Cllr Marsh also said the decision to prevent the events from going ahead was not one made by all councillors. She was not allowed to attend talks between council officers and the former Christmas market organisers. She said:
“We need to ensure that all councillors are kept informed and have a chance to have an input, we are all elected by the residents to act on their behalf.”
We sent Cllr Marsh’s statement to Harrogate Borough Council for a response but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
Read more:
- Historic Harrogate funfair cancelled after ‘council price hike’
- Original Harrogate Christmas Market will not return next year
What happened to the annual Harrogate funfair?
The family that stages the funfair told the Stray Ferret the event would not go ahead because Harrogate Borough Council hiked the charge for using Stray land.
Ruby Wilson, who has taken over organising the fair on behalf of her dad John Jameson, said the council had doubled the price from £5,000 to £10,000.
With additional costs on top, including VAT and a £2,000 deposit in case the Stray is damaged, Ms Wilson said the event was no longer viable. The council disputes the claims.
What happened to Harrogate Christmas Market?
Harrogate Borough Council refused a licence for the Harrogate Christmas Market due to concerns about coronavirus, overcrowding and terrorism.
After three weeks of wrangling with the council, co-organiser Brian Dunsby admitted defeat in his battle to hold the event on Montpellier Hill.
It later emerged the council had been engaged in talks with Manchester-based organisers Market Place Europe in March and has now ramped up those discussions about staging an alternative Christmas market in December.
