Why is Knaresborough neglected? Does nobody care?

Philip Allott is a businessman and politician who attended King James's School in Knaresborough and still lives in the town. He was leader of the Conservatives on Harrogate Borough Council, is a former Mayor of Knaresborough, and also served as the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.

The maintenance of some parts of the roads and paths in Knaresborough is shocking – and nobody seems to care. 

From fallen bollards to cracked pavements and road potholes, what has gone wrong? Even the Knaresborough town sign on Wetherby Road is peeling. Doesn’t anybody care?

Fixing many of these problems is a drop in the ocean for North Yorkshire Council and can be quickly funded from its current Highways budget of £63.8 million.

So why is Knaresborough being ignored? Is it because we sit back and accept it, instead of challenging those in office?

'Nothing seems to change'

In December 2025, I asked North Yorkshire Council to remove the debris on Grimbald Bridge to stop the drains blocking again and flooding the road. I also asked for a road sweeper to go on Abbey Road, a popular walking route for families in the lead up to Christmas, as it gets very slippery with leaves. 

I have now sent six emails to the council, including one to the chair of highways and a copy to our local councillor. An officer from North Yorkshire Council replied again earlier this week:

No matter what the political composition of those elected, whether at a town level, parliamentary, elected mayoralty or North Yorkshire Council – the latter comprising a combination of all the political parties and independents – nothing seems to change for the likes of Knaresborough.

'Growing sense of frustration'

There is now a growing sense of frustration in Knaresborough that the things that really matter to people – such as clean, safe streets to drive and bike on, and paths that are safe to walk on – are getting ignored due to bigger, more vocal towns like Scarborough or Harrogate, where £14 million can be found for the Station Gateway, despite legal opposition.

Maybe we need to be more organised. In the Harrogate Oatlands & Pannal ward, the 6,205 residents are much quicker at organising petitions and action campaigns, resulting in a much louder voice concerning industrial developments, roads and housing.

Ultimately, it is down to us the residents to be more vocal about what we want and to hold the institutions, and those elected, to account when they fail to deliver.

Council is 'remote and disconnected'

I was brought up in Knaresborough during the 1960s and in those days the town had its own council, the Knaresborough Urban District Council, and for big-ticket items (health, education and social services), the West Riding County Council, based in Wakefield.

The old Urban District Council based at Knaresborough House had a team of officers who mostly lived in the town and could be easily contacted, often in person, to get repairs quickly sorted. This served the town well and allowed street maintenance, parks and gardens and minor repairs to public areas to be completed in a matter of days.

Following local government reorganisation in 1974, Harrogate Borough Council took over the functions of the old Urban District Council and a new North Yorkshire County Council was created for education, highways, fire, social services etc.

In 2023, North Yorkshire Council, the biggest unitary authority in England, was created. It covers over 3,000 square miles and is seen by many, including me, as remote and often disconnected.

The problem is that anyone can stand for election providing they live in North Yorkshire, so this results in councillors getting elected who don’t live in the ward or even the town they represent.

'Insufficient political representation'

In the case of my own town, we only have two elected councillors, and only one of these lives in Knaresborough. I would also argue that despite the commitment of those elected, that there is insufficient political representation for a growing town of around 15,000 people, especially given the pressure from the government to build even more houses.

Whilst some devolved government has been granted to the Knaresborough Town Council, its powers and resources are still very limited, despite the enthusiasm of its 12 elected councillors, who all give their time for free.

'Be more vocal'

When Knaresborough does make its voice heard, it can be very effective. An example of this was when businesses banded together to form the Knaresborough Business Collective to oppose the creation of the BID – and were successful in getting the proposal rejected.

So come on, fellow Knaresborough residents, if you want a better resourced town, it is down to you and me to be far more vocal about delivery from those elected, and also from the likes of North Yorkshire Council and the elected Mayor’s office, both of whom should be giving Knaresborough a much bigger share of the funding cake, rather than skimping on the town’s ongoing maintenance!