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29
Jul
Lib Dems and Reform clash as Harrogate Town Council by-election looms
Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats have clashed over councillor attendance in the run-up to next week’s Harrogate Town Council by-election.
Voters in Coppice Valley will go to the polls on August 6 to elect a successor to Lib Dem Austin Wildmore, who resigned in June.
A Lib Dem leaflet included an article headlined ‘Reform councillor slammed over poor attendance’, which said one Reform North Yorkshire councillor who defected from the Conservatives had only attended 57% of meetings.
The article did not name the councillor, but Oatlands & Pannal Ash Cllr John Mann switched allegiance this year.
North Yorkshire Lib Dem Cllr Peter Lacey is quoted in the article saying: “We need councillors who are committed to our town and serving their residents. You just don’t get that with Reform.”
Jonathan Swales, chair of the Reform Harrogate and Knaresborough branch, responded by saying two recent Liberal Democrat resignations had forced Harrogate Town Council by-elections in recent months.
Lib Dem Edward Metcalfe resigned his Valley Gardens seat in January. Conservative Tom Martin won the subsequent by-election.
Mr Swales said:
We couldn't agree more that commitment matters. That's exactly why residents are entitled to ask why they have been forced to return to the polls for a second Harrogate Town Council by-election in just a few months following Liberal Democrat resignations.
Councillor John Mann has publicly explained the circumstances surrounding his attendance record. The more fundamental question is whether councillors remain in office to represent the people who elected them.
Successive resignations have disrupted local representation and resulted in unnecessary by-elections at significant cost to local taxpayers. We believe residents want councillors who honour the commitment they made when they asked for their vote.
Mr Swales said research by Reform Cllr David Goodall had revealed Mr Metcalfe and Mr Wildmore’s attendance at town council meetings up to tendering their resignations were 37.5% and 54.5% respectively.
A Lib Dem spokesperson responded:
“If Reform are genuinely concerned about the cost of by-elections, they might want to start by speaking to their own leader, who unnecessarily triggered one simply to end up running against a bin.”
The Liberal Democrats hold 13 seats on the town council. The Conservatives have three, Reform has one and there is one Independent.
Coppice Valley ward result in 2025
ADELEKE Rachel Catherine – Green Party – 66
BARRATT Louis – Conservative Party – 140
GELBER Christopher Julian – Reform UK – 200
HOLBREY Toby – Labour Party – 82
WILDMORE Austin – Liberal Democrat – 325
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