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04
Sept
Council to spray weeds in Harrogate after business complaint
North Yorkshire Council has undertaken a second course of weed killing in Harrogate this year in response to concerns by businesses.
Harrogate’s reputation for being a clean and tidy floral town contributes to the number of visitors.
But recent concerns about weeds prompted Matthew Chapman, chief executive of Harrogate Business Improvement District, to contact the council asking it to spray overgrown parts of roads and pavements.
The BID, which is funded by town centre businesses, increases footfall to the town centre and supports various initiatives that enhance Harrogate’s appeal, such as the annual Harrogate in Bloom contest. It also undertakes regular street cleaning duties.
The council told the BID it had completed its programme of spraying for 2024, which prompted solicitor and BID board member Russell Davidson to follow-up Mr Chapman’s request for action.
He accompanied his message with some photographs, which we have reproduced in the image accompanying this article. Since then, a fresh bout of spraying has begun.
We asked the council how often weeding and spraying is carried out in Harrogate each year and when it was last undertaken. We also asked whether the frequency had reduced in recent years to save costs.
A council spokesperson replied:
The first spray in Harrogate and Knaresborough was completed in June 2024. A second weed spray programme has started which will last for the next few weeks.
The local highways team will be in touch with both Mr Davidson and Matthew Chapman regarding the scheduled weed programme for this year.
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