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30
Apr 2020
Chairman and directors resign over council influence and secrecy on BID board
The chairman of Harrogate BID and three of its directors have sent a stinging letter of resignation to the board.
Citing undue council influence, a lack of openness and a business plan that does not reflect the reality of the state of the town centre, the four - more than a quarter of the board's 15 members - have stepped down with immediate effect.
The letter highlights the desperate situation which chairman Bob Kennedy and directors Chris Bentley, Robert Ogden and Rob Spencer believe Harrogate is now facing. It refers to an accumulation of negative impacts from the UCI Road World Championships and the Covid-19 lockdown, as well as a more general crisis for retail.
It says:
The letter then says the original business plan created by the BID will waste money on some areas and fail to fund others adequately. The plan should have been re-written and the budgets re-allocated to reflect the changing challenges of the last 18 months, according to the four signatories.
They also cite a lack of openness in the way the BID is being run:
Strong council influence
Finally, the directors say they have lost confidence that the board is going to spend its money in ways which will benefit businesses, not least because of the influence of the two local authorities. Funded by a compulsory levy on rate-payers in the town centre, it has an annual income of around £500,000. They say:
The resignations come just 10 days after the announcement of a new manager for the BID, Simon Kent. The four directors recognise his appointment and wish the remaining board members well, but say:
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