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13
Mar 2023
‘Once you’ve been to Bettys you’ve done Harrogate’, claims Ripon councillor
A Ripon councillor has suggested there is little for tourists to do in Harrogate after visiting the famous tearooms Bettys.
Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minster and Moorside on North Yorkshire County Council, was speaking at the final Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee meeting before the new North Yorkshire Council is formed on April 1.
He referred to the sometimes thorny relationship between Harrogate and Ripon and said reorganisation was a chance for the city to be presented in a different way to tourists.
Ripon is currently marketed as a tourist destination within Destination Harrogate — Harrogate Borough Council’s destination management organisation.
But Destination Harrogate's future is unclear as the new council looks to set up a county-wide tourism strategy instead.
Cllr Williams was critical of how Ripon has positioned within Destination Harrogate. He said:
‘Rose-tinted view’
Officers spoke to councillors about the economic opportunities in Ripon, which included a presentation on how the city’s economy has performed since covid.
Dave Caulfield, who will be assistant director economic development at the new council, said tourism was crucial to Ripon’s economy and the city’s offer would form part of a new tourism strategy that is being developed for North Yorkshire.
But Cllr Williams said the report presented a “rose-tinted view” of Ripon. He called on the new council to “listen to local people in Ripon and work with them rather than ignoring them".
In response, Mr Caulfield said:
There were also warms words for Ripon from David Staveley, Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent.
He told Cllr Williams:
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