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15
Jul
'Whingeing' Harrogate Town Council accused of failing to deliver despite doubling council tax
A leading Conservative has said he is “astonished” to discover that Harrogate Town Council has not submitted any bids to take control of buildings or services in the town.
Councillor Michael Harrison’s comments are likely to intensify the rift between Tory-run North Yorkshire Council and Liberal Democrat-controlled Harrogate Town Council.
Last month Harrogate Town Council passed a motion of no confidence in North Yorkshire Council.
It said the Northallerton-based council was ‘fundamentally failing the people of Harrogate’, adding: “We cannot sit idly by while our town's basic facilities crumble due to bureaucratic apathy and a total lack of local accountability.”
At the time Cllr Harrison, who sits on both councils, described the motion as “a childish Lib Dem political stunt” and he renewed his criticism at a North Yorkshire Council cabinet meeting today (July 14), which agreed a new community transfer policy. You can watch it here.
The meeting heard that Harrogate Town Council, which was set up over a year ago, has not applied to North Yorkshire Council to take control of any assets.
Ripon City Council is taking ownership of three of the city’s most historic buildings, including Ripon Town Hall, and Knaresborough Town Council is deep in negotiations to run the town’s weekly market.
Cllr Harrison, the cabinet member for health and adult services, said:
I am astonished to find Harrogate Town Council haven’t submitted any expressions of interest to North Yorkshire Council to run any service or to add any value, yet they are passing motions saying they can’t sit idly by. It sounds to me like they are sitting idly by.
We should have a constructive relationship with our town and parish councils.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Harrison said:
“When I stood for election to Harrogate Town Council, I said that the town council should be focused on providing services that other bodies didn’t or delivering existing services to a higher standard. No progress has been made on this despite a 105% increase in the precept Harrogate Town Council are charging residents.”
The North Yorkshire Council executive meeting on July 14.
‘Queering the pitch’
Cllr Heather Phillips, the cabinet member for corporate services, told today’s meeting Ripon was an example of a place “taking that first step and winning”.
She added:
We’d like everyone to win but you don’t do it by queering the pitch before we even start.
I’m a firm believer that you engage positively and then you have a positive result. If you are not committed to making your area better by coming up with some expressions of interest then I think it is disingenuous to blame the higher tier authority.
Local democracy starts with our parish or town councils and if they don’t have the energy or the will to make change happen — which they can do, they can precept, they can take projects on — come to us and we will work positively.
Deputy leader Councillor Gareth Dadd said local councils could run assets better and some were doing so “without whingeing or groaning”.
The community transfer policy adopted today formalises North Yorkshire Council leader Cllr Carl Les’ policy of ‘double devolution’, which pledged to encourage town and parish councils to run local assets.
Harrogate town councillors
‘Persistent, systemic neglect of Harrogate’
Cllr Andrew Timothy, a Lib Dem Harrogate town councillor, proposed the no confidence motion, which accused North Yorkshire Council of “persistent, systemic neglect of Harrogate’s public amenities and essential infrastructure”.
Cllr Timothy’s motion claimed the “centralised management model operated from Northallerton is fundamentally failing the people of Harrogate” and called for “immediate and substantial” funding for the Stray Changing Rooms, benches and paths in Valley Gardens and public toilets”.
The motion also accused North Yorkshire Council of failing to tackle dangerous parking, deteriorating air quality and overseeing a “complete lack of enforcement against major planning infractions”.
Lib Dem-controlled Knaresborough Town Council passed a similar no confidence motion the previous month.
Its motion demanded an “immediate and substantial capital investment package [...] to address urgent repairs, upgrades, and improvements at Knaresborough House, Knaresborough Castle, Viaduct Terrace, public toilets, the Bebra Gardens paddling pool, town-centre cobbled areas, and town-centre signage and visitor infrastructure”.
The motions have no formal power to compel North Yorkshire Council to act.
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