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04
Jun
Town council calls for review into housing developer contributions
Harrogate Town Council has called for a review into housing developer contributions amid claims that local people are not being informed that they are available.
The Liberal Democrat-run council has urged North Yorkshire Council to review the contributions, known as Section 106 funding, as part of its 20-year housing plan.
Section 106 legal agreements between councils and developers outline what funds should be paid to compensate for the impact of new housing. They can include contributions towards GP practices, highways and education, as well as open spaces.
The Stray Ferret published a series of articles, which you can read here, highlighting concerns about Section 106 agreements last year.
Now, Lib Dem councillors in Harrogate claim North Yorkshire Council has failed to inform local people when those funds are available.
They say the town council has been “picking up the slack” by writing to community groups to inform them that funding is available from developers and how to apply.
Cllr. Mark Warr, Lib Dem vice-chair of Harrogate Town Council’s finance and general purposes committee, said:
Too often, these contributions to our area are reclaimed by developers simply because the Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council has such a cumbersome application process for the funding.
We are calling on North Yorkshire to make sure that, whenever a new development is built, the community gets the investment it deserves.
At a meeting last night (June 3), the town council called on North Yorkshire Council to provide clear criteria for how applications for Section 106 funding are assessed, including by making the decision process more transparent and giving clear feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
It also called for clear instructions to be provided to help community groups apply for this funding, as well as executive summaries of what funding is available where.
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