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06
Nov
Town council to fund reviving youth clubs in Harrogate
Harrogate Town Council looks set to support the establishment of youth clubs in the Harrogate area.
Last night, councillors backed moves to provide “additional youth engagement sessions” in the town and £7,000 in funding for a children’s and young persons network.
Cllr Paula Stott, Liberal Democrat for Central ward, and Cllr Josy Thompson, Liberal Democrat for Duchy ward, told a full council meeting that the idea for the clubs came after “positive” discussions with Harrogate and District Community Action in October.
Councillors said the clubs could be established in areas of Harrogate with “anti-social behaviour issues” and pointed to Inspire Youth Yorkshire, a charity which provides youth services in Harrogate and surrounding areas, as an organisation to approach to set up the initiative.
Cllr Andrew Timothy, Liberal Democrat for Hookstone ward, said providing more for young people to do, particularly those aged between 11 and 18, would be a good step for the town council.
He said:
There is nowhere for young people to meet their friends.
I think that if Inspire Youth Yorkshire have the experience necessary, then approaching them is something that we should be doing.
Councillors voted to approach Inspire Youth Yorkshire for “more detailed discussions” about youth clubs, including a budget.
The town council will also provide £4,000 in funding to HADCA for a 12-month set up of a children and young persons network, plus £3,000 to run it for a year.
Neighbourhood plan
Meanwhile, councillors also approved the appointment of Directions Planning, a Harrogate-based consultancy firm, to help “assist with the preparation” of a Neighbourhood Plan.
The company will be paid £4,368 to help with the early stages of the Harrogate plan — which will be fed into the wider North Yorkshire Local Plan.
Iona Taylor, town clerk, said that the money used to pay the firm will come from Community Infrastructure Levy funds which the council has received, not the parish precept.
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