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May 2020

Last Updated: 04/05/2020

Business

Outgoing board members criticise 'defensive' council for obstructing hard work of Harrogate BID

by Vicky Carr

| 04 May, 2020

After sending a stinging letter of resignation last week, two outgoing members of Harrogate BID's board speak publicly for the first time about their frustrations that members' hard work has met with resistance from local authorities.

The spread of coronavirus could deter shoppers in the Harrogate district

Further questions have been raised about the role of councils on Harrogate BID after outgoing board members said their plans were thwarted by local authorities.

After four board members including the chairman resigned last week, two of those behind the critical resignation letter have spoken out further.

Rob Spencer, who runs Townhouse Design, said he grew frustrated that the hard work of board members came to nothing when they tried to get the council to act or agree to their plans. He said:

"One of the things I'm passionate about is having our town looking great to welcome visitors and it certainly doesn't look as good at the moment as it has done previously. Nobody can afford to be complacent.

"The town hasn't been looked after to the standard it has been previously, yet council tax has gone up. When we presented that to the council members they were very defensive and very keen to get the BID to spend money from doing additional things to embellish the town or attract people but it shouldn't be having to undertake basic duties to keep it to a reasonable level.

"It was met quite often with a lot of resistance when it was mentioned to council members on the BID. They would refer to other towns and say Harrogate was better and you would think, 'that's not relevant'.

"With our potential and history to encourage visitors, we do have a duty [to maintain a high standard] because Harrogate is a beautiful town and a spa town and quite unique. You can't afford to think it's going to stay successful because of that historic interest."

His comments were echoed by fellow signatory Chris Bentley, of Hornbeam Park Developments, who said: "One of the board members volunteered to liaise with the council over street cleaning. They couldn't get that any further forward. Now they're trying to do it with third-party cleaners which brings another level of bureaucracy."

The four board members who resigned last week were appointed after applying for the positions at the end of 2019, hoping to bring more positive action on behalf of local businesses. It followed after a difficult first year for the BID, which saw numerous board members step down and the first manager departing after less than four months in post. Mr Spencer said:

"I wanted to do some good and help the town. I had mixed reasons for wanting to come out. I run a small business and I'm involved in that day-to-day and that has to come first. Particularly at the moment, that's more crucial than ever."

'Still a great town'

Last week, following their resignations, Harrogate BID issued a statement saying it was aware of the challenges facing the town and was dedicated to making improvements for the benefit of all its levy payers.

Both Mr Spencer and Mr Bentley praised the hard work of the remaining board members and some of the initiatives they had proposed, particularly to make the town centre as vibrant as possible during the run-up to Christmas, should social distancing allow.

But they said at a time when businesses were facing unprecedented challenges, they had to focus on areas where they could make the most difference, which meant spending time on their own businesses. Mr Spencer added:

"We're still a great town and there are some great businesses. We're in unprecedented times and I'm confident things will return and bounce back.

"Everybody in their businesses has to work very hard. When we're investing in our businesses, we want to know that the council are doing the right things with people's council tax and are not complacent about things."

Harrogate Borough Council declined to comment on its involvement with the BID. The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire County Council for a comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.