Knaresborough residents urged to have say on future of council services

There are just two weeks left for Knaresborough residents to have their say on how the town should be run under major changes coming to council services.

Knaresborough Town Council has received hundreds of responses to a survey launched in December but is now urging more people to share their views on local government reorganisation which could see the town given greater control over services such as parking and markets.

The survey will run until January 27 and comes as the reorganisation plans are fast-approaching with Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council set to be replaced by a new county-wide authority from April 2023.

A Knaresborough Town Council spokesperson said:

“By taking part in the survey, Knaresborough residents will be able to provide their opinions on living in the town, council services, the future of the town council, devolution and tackling climate change amongst other topics.”

The running of parks and gardens, play areas and public buildings including Knaresborough House and Conyngham Hall could also be handed over to the town council under the reorganisation plans.

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Knaresborough Cllr David Goode previously said it was “vital” that people take part in the survey which he believes will build a strong case for the town’s future.

He said: 

“The more responses we get, the better view we will have of what Knaresborough residents think about our town.

“It’s important to remember though that this process of devolved powers isn’t going to happen overnight.

“This is a 10 to 15 year journey which will need small steps in the beginning and then will develop much further.”

To have your say go to www.knaresboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk/resident-survey

Paper copies of the survey are also available to collect from Knaresborough Library or by contacting the town council on 01423 864080 or clerk@knaresboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk.

Ballot could decide whether to set up Harrogate town council

The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has suggested a ballot could decide whether to create a Harrogate town council.after next year’s shake-up of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on April 1 next year after 49 years of existence.

Its demise is part of the biggest change in local government since 1974, which will see the abolition of all seven district councils in the county, along with North Yorkshire County Council, and the creation of a single new super council.

The move could lead to the creation of a Harrogate town council to manage local assets such as the Stray and Harrogate Convention Centre.

Alternatively, the new super council — which will almost certainly be called North Yorkshire Council — could decide to handle everything itself.

Rudding Park

Rudding Park

Richard Cooper told Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly meeting at Rudding Park last night:

“Some people think there should be a ballot on whether to have a town council. That’s something that happens quite a lot.”

But he said the final decision on whether to hold a ballot would be up to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Could Harrogate be home to the new super council?

Cllr Cooper, a Conservative who besides leading the borough council is also a county councillor, also floated the possibility of Harrogate being chosen as the location for North Yorkshire Council. He said:

“It’s still not decided where the new council will be and it could be Harrogate. It would certainly have the best office facilities in North Yorkshire.”

Northallerton, where North Yorkshire County Council is based, is the firm favourite to be chosen as the new location. But Cllr Cooper said whatever the outcome, Harrogate was likely to remain a “significant hub” in the new set-up because there would still be a need for council staff, offices and depots in the town.

Harrogate Borough Council offices at Knapping Mount.

Harrogate Borough Council offices at Knapping Mount.

With vesting day — the day when North Yorkshire Council comes into existence — just 444 days away, Cllr Cooper used his speech at last night’s meeting to urge Harrogate district voluntary organisations, some of which rely heavily on Harrogate Borough Council funding, to start networking with North Yorkshire County Council. He said:

“One of the key things voluntary organisations must do over the next year is build relationships.”

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He said Harrogate Borough Council had generously funded many local not-for-profit organisations, such as Harrogate Homeless Project, and he hoped the new council would continue this.

Asked whether he would be a contender for mayor of the combined authority for North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council under the new structure, Cllr Cooper reiterated that he planned to leave politics next year.

He said his political career was “in decline down to zero” rather than “on the launchpad”, adding:

“After getting into it 22 years ago, snd rather by accident, I think it’s time for other people to have a go.”

Staff ‘worried’

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, told the meeting staff were ‘concerned and worried about what will happen” after they transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

He said all staff, except himself, whose role will no longer exist, would transfer to the new authority under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment). But there were no guarantees beyond then. Mr Sampson said:

“I can give assurances that on day one they will have a role. I can’t say beyond that.”

Nevertheless he said council leaders had set the tone by adopting a “pragmatic” approach to the changes and a “non-adversarial” approach to the new regime.

He added “staff had responded well to that” and were engaged in 16 workstreams related to the handover of power as well as their day-to-day duties.

Proud of Tour de France

Mr Sampson said despite all the changes, devolution was a “prize worth achieving” because the new mayor would have beefed-up powers and there would be economies of scale savings for taxpayers by the reduction in the number of senior managers and back office staff.

Asked what had been his greatest achievement, Mr Sampson said one of the things he was most proud of was leading the council through a decade of severe funding cuts from national government “without a significant impact on services”.

He also cited the council’s part in bringing the Tour de France to Harrogate in 2014. Mr Sampson said:

“I’m proud of the joy it brought to the district. It’s lasting legacy was that it put Harrogate on the map and created pride in what Harrogate could do on the national stage.”

 

 

 

Business owners to quiz Harrogate council leaders over devolution

Business owners are set to quiz Harrogate Borough Council leaders over the future of local government in the district.

The borough council will be scrapped in April next year, along with the six other district councils and North Yorkshire County Council, to make way for a North Yorkshire super council.

The changes, which are part of the government’s devolution agenda, have raised questions over who will control the future of key local assets, such as the Stray, Harrogate Convention Centre and Ripon Town Hall.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, and Wallace Sampson, the chief executive, will give a presentation on what to expect over the next 15 months at a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting on Monday next week.

Cllr Cooper and Mr Sampson will take questions from business owners about the new authority and the prospect of a Harrogate town council being created.

David Simister, chief executive of the chamber, said:

“In the biggest shake up of local democracy in almost 50 years, a new unitary authority will replace both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council next year.

“This will have an impact on all those who live and work in the Harrogate District, and in order to explain what will happen between now and May 2023, the leader and chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council will talk us through the next 15 months.”

The meeting will take place at Rudding House at Rudding Park in Harrogate, although the event could be moved online depending on the covid situation.

Those wishing to attend should register their interest on the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce website.

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What stories to expect in the Harrogate district in 2022

In this article, we look at some of the biggest news events set to occur in 2022 including the refurbishment of Harrogate Convention Centre, devolution and the Harrogate Spring Water expansion plan.

From controversial expansions of bottling plants at Harrogate’s Pinewoods to multi-million pound refurbishment plans for the town’s convention centre, 2022 has a number of major storylines in store.

Political events are also on the horizon, as voters head to the polls in May to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire super council.

Here the Stray Ferret looks at some of the storylines set to dominate the news over the course of the next 12 months and what they could mean for the Harrogate district.

Major Harrogate Convention Centre refurbishment

It could be the biggest single investment made by Harrogate Borough Council in recent times.

A £47 million spend, which would see the HCC refurbished and modernised, could be signed off this year by senior councillors.

Harrogate Convention Centre, which is earmarked for a £47 million renovation.

Harrogate Convention Centre, which is earmarked for a £47 million renovation.

The project was outlined last year, but council officials have commissioned a series of reports, including an economic impact assessment, before any project is given the go-ahead.

The council told the Stray Ferret in July last year that a final decision will be made in 2022.

It could be the authority’s lasting legacy before it is scrapped and the convention centre is handed over to the succeeding North Yorkshire super council.

A changing political landscape

People across the Harrogate district will head to the polls in May for what will be a landmark occasion.

It will be the first time that the electorate has its say on who will sit on the new North Yorkshire council.

While the authority will not officially come into being until 2023, councillors will stand for seats on the authority regardless as part of the transitional period.

Polling day will give the opportunity for voters to show which party they have confidence in leading the county’s single council.

It will also give an indication of what the political make-up of the council will be and potentially what direction it will be taken in. The Conservatives currently have overwhelming control of both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

Some senior Harrogate councillors, such as borough council leader Richard Cooper, have already revealed that they will not be part of the new council.

Come May 5, we will be much clearer on how the political landscape is shaping up.

Harrogate Spring Water plant

Harrogate Spring Water, Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.

Harrogate Spring Water expansion

Details of Harrogate Spring Water’s plan to expand its bottling plant in the Pinewoods are expected to be revealed this year.

Following a high-profile refusal of its previous plan in January 2020, the company announced its intention to resubmit a fresh proposal.

It would be a new application, said company bosses, and its old plan would be disregarded.

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However, since its announcement in July 2020, no proposal from Harrogate Spring Water has been made public.

The Stray Ferret has also been told that no meaningful talks with community groups have taken place since January’s refusal – something which the company promised to do.

In its most recent comments, Harrogate Spring Water said it was “still in the process of talking to all relevant parties”.

Station Gateway saga

One story which will continue into 2022 is the ongoing saga over the controversial Station Gateway project.

The £10.9 million scheme, which plans to reduce Harrogate’s Station Parade to single lane traffic and part pedestrianise James Street, will come before North Yorkshire County Council this month.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate's James Street pedestrianised.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

If they decide to go ahead, work on the project will begin this year.

However, the scheme faces criticism from residents groups and businesses. A second petition has been handed into the county council, marking another sign of growing opposition to the proposal.

It could scrap the scheme altogether — but the indications are it will press ahead and continue to face objections as the deadline looms for the project to start.

Council bosses have until March 2023 to spend the money granted to them by government for the gateway scheme.

No. 2: Devolution plants a bomb under the political landscape

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the seismic decision to scrap Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council as part of plans to create a new super-council for North Yorkshire.

The landscape of local government and politics in the Harrogate district is set for its biggest shake-up in 50 years.

The two-tier system, which has seen North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council provide different services, is to be replaced by a single-tier system, with one super-council in charge of England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire had avoided Westminster’s devolution agenda over the last 10 years.

Neighbouring Teeside and West Yorkshire have completed the transition, and now have their own mayors.

Now the process is well and truly underway in North Yorkshire.

Seismic decision

When senior county councillors confirmed they were in discussions with ministers over a devolution deal, the news probably perked the ears of only those political enthusiasts interested in the minutia of local politics.

But the consequences will be considerable, even if the process has been slow and cumbersome so far.

The intricacies of a council officer submitting a list of “asks” and a government minister sending a letter back bullet pointing requirements to proceed in negotiations is not a gripping political tale.

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Councils were responding to what then local government minister, Simon Clark, asked them to do in July 2020. He said that in order for North Yorkshire to get any power and control back from Whitehall, it would have to scrap its two-tier council system.

In other words, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the remaining district authorities would no longer exist.

It was a seismic decision and one which will change the scope of politics in the county.

A super council

For some, the creation of one council for North Yorkshire will be little more than another logo on their council tax bill and a different council collecting bins on a morning.

Others will see a change in the political make-up of the county and an end to the more parochial way that local government is performed at the moment.

We don’t know the full list of political figures will be standing for the unitary council in May but there will be far fewer councillors and jostling for positions has begun.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has said he won’t be standing.

Whoever is elected, it will be a  new political beginning for the Harrogate district, albeit one that could well be run more remotely from Northallerton rather than from the Civic Centre at Knapping Mount, which Harrogate Borough Council moved into four years ago.

Huge decisions, such as the future of Harrogate Convention Centre, and responsibility for the Stray, will be taken by a different senior councillors from 2023.

When that first council tax bill lands on doormats across the Harrogate district in March 2024, it will be headed by a different name — but those making the decisions may no longer live in the district.

Why 2022 will be a big year of change for Harrogate’s local government future

The New Year will bring new challenges for key council services and major projects in the Harrogate district.

But 2022 will be a year like no other.

It will mark the beginning of the end for Harrogate Borough Council which will enter its final full year before it is abolished and replaced with a new North Yorkshire-wide authority.

Elections to the new council will take place in May and are set to be one of the most intriguing campaigns yet as political parties fight for control over a drastically reduced number of councillor seats at what will be a crucial time for the future of local government.

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper said while he would reflect on the end of the authority’s 47-year history with sadness, now was a time for planning ahead for the transition to the new council structure.

He said:

“The transfer of services to a new council is a complex process.

“Thorough planning is needed to ensure a smooth transfer for residents and staff too.

“It isn’t just Harrogate Borough Council combining with North Yorkshire County Council to form a new council; it is six other district councils combining into the new council too.

“So that is eight different ways of doing things – collecting the litter, supporting council housing, running leisure services and so on – combining into one new council on the same day.”

Cllr Cooper, who will stand down as a Conservative after 24 years of service when the new authority is created, added:

“Harrogate Borough Council will cease to exist in April 2023. I am sad about that, and sad that I will stop being a councillor at that time.

“However, how I feel as a councillor isn’t important. Like the vast majority of people reading this I am a local resident so I want the new council to deliver the services upon which I, my neighbours and friends – all of us – rely.

“What is important is making sure that the services the borough council runs are transferred efficiently to the new council and that they are run equally well or better than now.

“I am particularly concerned that our homelessness support services continue being supported.

“The poorest in society should not fall through any cracks in the process.”

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While Harrogate Borough Council’s time may be coming to a close, the authority has shown no signs of slowing up and has a number of major projects either underway or in the pipeline.

These include the £10.9m Gateway project, the new Ripon Swimming Pool, plans for a new Knaresborough Leisure Centre and a potential £47m redevelopment of Harrogate Convention Centre which councillor Cooper said will be a key economic driver for the district’s future.

The projects will be seen as a lasting legacy for the authority which is also pushing for the creation of a Harrogate Town Council to retain control of some services under local government reorganisation.

This comes as there are still lingering questions over what will happen to several council-owned buildings – not least to mention Harrogate Borough Council’s new Civic Centre headquarters.

Under the next stage of the councils shake-up, a structural change order will be approved by central government and act as the blueprint for reorganisation.

It will drastically cut the number of councillors representing the area, with the future of the Harrogate district set to be made up of around 20 councillors compared with 57 under the current structure.

Although they have yet to be announced, Cllr Cooper said he was confident the Conservatives had a strong selection of candidates to stand in the May election when the party will aim to keep its tight grip on the district.

He said:

“Elections are always challenging and we live in unprecedented political times.  However we have a set of excellent candidates who work hard in their local communities.

“I am confident in the ability and application of our candidates and I hope that, when it comes to polling day, people will vote for those who have a track record of action for residents irrespective of any party political concerns.”

This sense of optimism is one that is shared by Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, who said a loss of trust in central government and election victories elsewhere in the country showed the party is “on the up”.

She said:

“We hope our local residents will think very carefully about what their present Conservative-dominated councils have delivered for them over two decades.

“As the opposition group, we will keep pushing to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.

“With the Gateway project we would like a more holistic approach and that this scheme is not just looked at in isolation, but fitting into a wider town centre master plan.”

“A Harrogate Town Council needs to be in place quickly so Harrogate residents have the same local governance as the rest of the district.

“The new town council should have the powers to take control of places such as the Valley Gardens, the Royal Pump House Museum and any other assets that Harrogate residents feel needs local decision-making on, rather than a remote North Yorkshire council.

“We need to ensure our district has a strong voice on the council and that any area committees are balanced to ensure our area, with many residents, has a strong voice.”

Harrogate council requests interim-trustee body after it is scrapped

Harrogate Borough Council has requested that a charter trustee body is set up to take the place of the authority after it is scrapped.

The council will no longer exist in April 2023 after a county-wide unitary council is set up as part of devolution plans.

The move will leave the town with no lower tier authority.

As a result, council officials have requested to government that a charter trustee body in Harrogate is established after April 2023.

A charter trustee is a body which “preserves the rights and privileges” of an area which has borough status. However, it does not have any power to provide council services.

A report before the council’s cabinet said:

“Both Harrogate and Scarborough have Borough status, and in the absence of town/parish councils in the town centre areas, consideration needs to be given as to how to preserve the rights and privileges that accompany that status.

“Following a structural change, where there is no suitable local government body such as a parish council, charter trustees can be established to preserve historic property, privileges, rights and traditions presently enjoyed by local residents in council areas which will be abolished.”

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The body would be in place while a town council is considered for Harrogate.

Council officials will write to the unitary authority to recommend that it consider setting up of a lower-tier authority.

In July, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said the creation of such a town council was “inevitable”.

He told a full council meeting that he had previously offered assurances that a Harrogate Town Council would most likely be created and that a review of services would be carried at “the correct time, in the correct way and by the correct people”.

According to a government letter to North Yorkshire chief executives, a structural change order, a parliamentary mechanism which would start the process of abolishing the two-tier system, is expected to be put before the House of Commons “around the turn of the year”.

What is a charter trustee body?

A charter trustee body is a ceremonial body which is set up when a district council is abolished and there is no parish in that area.

They were first set up in the 1970s as part of a wider range of reform in local government.

Councillors are elected to the trustee and a mayor is elected. The body is set up to “preserves the rights and privileges” of the borough and to continue the traditional roles carried out by the previous borough council.

The trustee body is funded through a local precept to fund administrative roles, such as the mayor. 

However, it has no legal power to levy a precept to run services that a parish council would, such as grass cutting or public toilets.

County council branded ‘utterly unfair’ for making local government pay for elections

A county council charged with overseeing local government reorganisation has dismissed claims of being “totally and utterly unfair” to parish, town and city councils by expecting them to fund their own elections next year.

North Yorkshire County Council’s leadership has hit back saying it is powerless to change the potentially financially difficult situation which is expected to face some of the lowest tier authorities, elections for which have been brought forward a year to May.

When the Implementation Board, which is made of representatives of the county and district councils, submitted the Structural Change Order to government to kick start the process of merging the county and seven district councils, it was agreed parish and town council elections should be brought forward a year to align them to elections for the new authority.

The comments of the county council’s ruling Conservative administration follow opposition councillors stating the move would see parishes would be forced to raise money at short notice to cover any election costs.

Objectors have highlighted how some parishes, particularly ones that are self-funding through means such as car parking, do not charge residents a council tax precept, but the election costs could lead to extra council tax charges.

They have emphasised while the Yorkshire Local Councils Association had advised the upcoming elections would be cost-free for parishes, the county was offering contradictory advice that parish, town and city councils should prepare to pay their normal fees for elections.

Cllr Stuart Parsons, the authority’s opposition leader said parishes accrued funding for elections every four years in their annual budget setting, so would not have sufficient set aside to pay for elections next year.

He said as the county council was expecting to save over £250m with the local authority merger, it “could be a little bit more generous” with the parish election expenses.

Cllr Parsons said:

“I am not impressed by the county council approach as the elections are being called early to suit their move towards unitary, not to benefit the other tier of local government. Because of this parish and town councils will only have one year to set aside the necessary sums for this election instead of the two years they would have had.

“The county council is ignoring the fact that parishes and towns received no government support during the pandemic and that as a result of this most are distinctly short of money. Richmond Town Council lost nearly 50% of its’ annual income with no possibility of support.

“The county council is therefore being totally and utterly unfair in its’ approach. It is failing to recognise the uniqueness of the impending situation and also refusing to accept their own responsibility in creating this situation.”

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However, Cllr Carl Les, the authority’s leader, said whether parishes paid for the elections next year or in the future was out of his administration’s hands.

He said it would be entirely up to the new authority to decide whether it made parish and town councils make contributions towards election expenses, but he did not believe holding elections for separate councils at different times represented a fair deal for the county’s taxpayers.

Cllr Les added:

“Some of us are proposing that we don’t think that it is right that the new authority should make a charge to parish councils for election expenses where the principle authority is holding an election anyway. We can’t bind the new authority to that.

“Unfortunately some people are taking that to mean there shouldn’t be a charge for the 2022 elections. We can’t do anything about the elections in May as they are still in the control of the district councils as the returning bodies. Some district councils charge for election expenses and some don’t, so all we can do is have a conversation with them leaing up to that election.”

Harrogate town council: the Stray’s future and relationship with business

One of the Harrogate’s most prized assets is the Stray.

The 200-acre grassland is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, which manages the Queen’s estate.

But its management and upkeep lies solely with Harrogate Borough Council — which will no longer exist in April 2023.

The scrapping of the borough council also raises questions for businesses, which will need to deal with an entirely new authority in the coming years.

The key question is whether or not these important areas for the Harrogate district become the responsibility of the new unitary council or a newly formed town council.

Who will maintain the Stray?

When the borough council no longer exists, any maintenance of the Stray will be handed to the new authority.

This means that the upkeep will be carried out by the unitary authority. But, as an asset which is unique to Harrogate, a new Harrogate town council could bid for its control.

As previously reported, many of the powers which lower-tier councils in Cornwall decided to take on were the maintenance of parks and gardens.

So although a Harrogate town council might not be able to keep up with the demands of running the Harrogate Convention Centre, it may regard the Stray as a more manageable asset.

A year to forget on West Park Stray following the UCI Road World Championships.

A year to forget on West Park Stray following the UCI Road World Championships.

However, taking on control of the Stray can be complicated, as highlighted by the recent controversy over damage to the Stray caused by the UCI Road World Championships and the £130,000 cost of restoration work.

Plus, the current borough council has a parks and environment department which oversees it — something a town council would have to resource itself.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, said it had been considering the Stray’s future post-Harrogate Borough Council.

She added:

“We have always worked in conjunction with the Duchy of Lancaster and Harrogate Borough Council to ensure the protection and upkeep of the Stray and are obviously concerned as to what any new council would be in a position to undertake. Clearly the Duchy of Lancaster would also be involved in any discussions and decisions about this

“Our hope is that any new authority would continue to care for the Stray and manage it in the best possible way to ensure it is maintained to a high standard for the use and enjoyment of all of Harrogate’s residents.”

Taking care of business

The loss of Harrogate Borough Council will also affect the town’s economy.

Harrogate’s traders will soon have to negotiate with a new council on matters such as planning, licensing and business rates.

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Thousands of pounds of grants were distributed through the borough council to keep traders afloat during covid.

There is also the ongoing debate over the £10.9 million Station Gateway project, which has seen battle lines drawn between some businesses and the borough and county councils, which both support the pro-cycling scheme.

David Simister, chief executive of the Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, says business will continue to forge a relationship with the council, whether it is the new unitary authority or a town council.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The chamber currently has a close working relationship with Harrogate Borough Council, and if there was to be a town council, then we would seek similar ties.

“Only by working in partnership with different organisations will Harrogate continue to thrive and prosper. Our members are drawn from the whole business spectrum, and collectively have a huge amount of knowledge which a town council can tap into.”

The future

The prospect of a Harrogate town council is already raising questions and creating uncertainties, which the new unitary council will need to address quickly.

The ball has been set rolling for devolution and the debate over where local power will reside and how assets will be run will grow ever more intense until matters are resolved.

Harrogate town council: could it run Harrogate Convention Centre?

From the running of Harrogate Convention Centre to bin collections, the district’s public services will change in 18 months when devolution kicks in.

One of the major questions confronting Harrogate in 2023 will be what assets it wants to retain control of.

North Yorkshire County Council, which successfully bid for the new unitary council model, has promised “double devolution”.

That means a town council will be able to bid for assets — even though this may see council tax precepts hike up.

One of the Harrogate district’s biggest assets is its convention centre. Harrogate Borough Council has long sold it as an economic benefit to the town.

But it soon could become an economic vehicle which is no longer controlled locally.

HCC as an economic asset

In April 2023, a process known as “vesting day” will be held. This will see assets of all seven district councils moved to the control of North Yorkshire Council, the proposed name of the new unitary authority.

Among those which will be transferred is Harrogate Convention Centre.

The HCC has for a decade been sold as a £60 million benefit to the district – though this dropped to £35 million according to minutes from a council meeting held in December 2019.

An economic impact summary used to assess the value of the HCC in 2016/17.

With the HCC no longer in the district’s control, the question becomes what will its future be and what role will it play under the unitary council?

North Yorkshire Council officials will have to decide whether it is a strategic asset to them or not.

The new authority will have its own tourism and economic agenda, which the HCC may be included in.

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However, the council will also have to factor in assets in other districts, including Scarborough, Richmondshire and Craven, and have to decide whether to retain control of the HCC after 2023.

Harrogate Borough Council, which will no longer exist in 2023, has long felt that an arms length approach to running the centre is the best approach. It has put public money into the HCC and has since planned a £47 million renovation of the site.

In its annual report in 2019, the council said:

“We are responding to the challenges of the changing nature of the conference industry by redeveloping the Harrogate Convention Centre site.

“The facility contributes around £55 million a year to the local economy and has an important role to play in the district.”

However, the HCC is one of only two conference centres to be run by a local council. The other is Brighton Centre.

The unitary council may feel that the operating model of the HCC needs to change.

Town council control?

Given the scale of the asset and the uncertainty over how a unitary authority based elsewhere in the county will treat it, the question then becomes whether the HCC can be controlled locally?

Should the county council’s “double devolution” agenda come to fruition, a Harrogate authority could bid for control the HCC.

But, given that town councils elsewhere have had to significantly hike up their council tax precepts to pay for modest assets, it may be a tall order for an authority with fewer resources to handle.

Jonathan Webb, senior research fellow at the think tank IPPR North, told the Stray Ferret that any council-run public assets needed to benefit the wider area.

He was critical of the government’s “patchwork” devolution agenda, but added that some services are better run by larger authorities.

Mr Webb said:

“Different authorities will have different systems and I think part of the problem is that the public is not aware of how it works.

“The challenge of creating this new council is it is an extremely large area. The largest at the moment is Cornwall.”

Mr Webb added that the question for the unitary council is whether it can run services in Harrogate better or not.

“Does the unitary deliver anything better. Does it give them more resources or does it affect it?”