Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith urged Boris Johnson to adopt a “more humane approach” to Ukrainian refugees at Prime Minister’s Questions today.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Smith, a Conservative, said to Mr Johnson:

“People across the country are genuinely concerned at our response on refugees, on the bureaucracy, on the tone of our response.

“He’s shown with vaccines that government change really comes from the very top. Please can I urge him to look again at resetting our policy and taking control of a more humane approach to those women and men fleeing from Ukraine.”

Mr Johnson replied that this government “have done more than any other to resettle vulnerable people since 2015”.

Mr Johnson responds to Mr Smith.

He added:

“I think there is a huge opportunity now for us to do even more and that’s why my friend, the Rt Hon Secretary of State for Levelling Up will be setting out a route by which the British people — not just the family reunion route which can run into the hundreds of thousands — but also a route by which everybody in this country can offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine.”

Mr Johnson said further details would be revealed “in the next few days”.

Just over a week ago Mr Smith urged the government to “rip up the usual bureaucracy and let’s just say they are welcome and we will make it as easy as possible to be here”.

Harrogate Conservative leader defends local response

Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper has accused the opposition Liberal Democrat leader Pat Marsh of appearing ignorant after she asked what steps the Tory-controlled council was taking to help the people of Ukraine.

Cllr Pat Marsh

Cllr Marsh asked in an email:

“What is being planned? Have we earmarked possible accommodation, have monies been allocated to help to feed, possibly clothe people?

“Please start some proactive actions now, the people of Harrogate district would support all efforts to help these desperate people fleeing a war zone, not of their making. We cannot just sit by and do nothing.”

Read more:

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She also urged the council to lobby the UK government to grant more visas to Ukrainians.

Cllr Cooper’s response, seen by the Stray Ferret, says Cllr Marsh was “entirely wrong to allege that Harrogate Borough Council has sat by and done nothing”.

Cllr Richard Cooper

He added:

“For a start I have asked the council housing team to identify available properties so that we can react quickly to accommodation refugees as we did for Syrian and Afghan refugees.

“We have established contact with Jenny Travena, a former independent councillor, who is working with the Harrogate District of Sanctuary to coordinate our efforts when refugees arrive.

“We will take part in the government’s matching scheme to provide suitable accommodation with individuals and families fleeing the war when the final arrangements for it are announced.

“We have also determined that we have no contracts with Russian companies nor investments with them. We have cancelled performances at the Royal Hall from Russian linked companies and we have shown our solidarity with the people of Ukraine by hoisting their flag at the Civic Centre and the war memorial.

“I am concerned that your email gives an impression – granted that it appears to be from ignorance – that the borough council is taking no action whatsoever to prepare for Ukrainian refugees. This is entirely untrue. The action you have asked for is already being taken and I am rather surprised you didn’t know about it.”

Harrogate Borough Council has exceeded its house-building target by almost 1,700 homes over the last three years, according to new government figures.

Statistics released in the government’s Housing Delivery Test reveal the district needed 987 new homes to meet demand between 2018 and 2021 – but 2,682 were delivered.

That is 1,641 homes – or 266% – above the target and has sparked fresh questions over whether this level of new housing is being matched with improvements in Harrogate’s struggling infrastructure, schools and health services.

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson argued the government figures are only a minimum target and that its own ambitions in its Harrogate district Local Plan take greater account of the desperate need for more affordable housing.

They also described the current level of house-building as a “positive step” to tackle this problem.

The spokesperson said: 

“Our adopted Local Plan, underpinned by local evidence of housing need, seeks to tackle a number of long standing local issues.

“In particular, families and young people are facing increasing difficulty in buying their own home due to a lack of houses and high house prices.

“Local businesses also tell us that they struggle to recruit locally due to the high cost of housing.

“The level of new housing included in the Local Plan will help to address these issues and support our economic ambitions.”

It was six years in the making but the Local Plan was finally adopted in 2020 when Harrogate set its own target of delivering 637 new homes each year until 2035.

And while there was some controversy over which sites were allocated for development, local politicians of all stripes agreed it was better to have a plan, than no plan at all.

Housing ‘free for all’

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the council’s opposition Liberal Democrat group, described the six years prior to the Local Plan’s adoption as a “free for all” of uncontrolled house-building.

She also said while the Local Plan has handed Harrogate greater control over its housing future, it had yet to be matched with meaningful improvements for communities which will feel the long-term effects of dramatic population growth.

Cllr Marsh

“The Lib Dems are very concerned about our infrastructure; it is not fit for purpose.

“The council now has a Community Infrastructure Levy, but before that the council could only ask for monies from developers if their development had a negative impact on existing nearby residents.

“Schools have been able to get monies through the legal Section 106 agreement to help with any extensions required because of the development but until very, very recently secondary schools were not considered or included at all.

“Medical services have never been included which is again ridiculous with all these extra demands on our doctors and dental services, police and our hospital.

“The government wants houses, but does not give councils the real powers to achieve what is required for the local infrastructure needs for all these large developments.”

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Parameters plan approved

Defending its record, the council also pointed towards the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – which sets out the needs for an extra 4,000 homes – as a measure to ensure the area has the “necessary infrastructure to support future communities”.

The plan has been recommended for approval at a meeting today and while it has been praised by the council, those living in the area have complained it does not go far enough and is being approved too soon to balance the impacts of what will be Harrogate’s biggest urban expansion in decades.

David Siddans, secretary of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said: 

“Since 2018 we have been arguing that Harrogate Borough Council are planning for far more houses than the district actually needs, amounting to many thousands.

“Now they are giving developers permission for hundreds more on top of that, nearly all of them on greenfield sites.

“Every new house over and above the numbers needed adds to carbon emissions and also increases the pressure on infrastructure.

“From what we have seen with the emerging West Harrogate Parameters Plan, the authority is suggesting that a bus every 30 minutes and a shared footway/cycleway will address the travel needs of the additional 6,000 or so population, with minimal other changes to the network.

“We have also expressed our concern at the additional demands that will be placed on education, and the lack of a coherent strategy for secondary schooling.”

Mr Siddans added: 

“We, along with other organisations in the area, say that the council should not be approving the parameters plan until full details of the infrastructure package is agreed.

“We understand that is not expected before May this year.

“We have no confidence that this will happen and it is likely that developers will again be given the green light with the wider infrastructure needs remaining unaddressed.”

A 1.99% council tax rise has been approved by Harrogate Borough Council as part of its final budget before the authority is swallowed up into a new North Yorkshire Council.

The increase equates to an extra £5 per year for average Band D households and will come into force from April.

It was approved at a full council meeting last night which marked the last time that the Conservative-run council will set its own budget before it is scrapped and replaced with a unitary authority covering the whole of North Yorkshire from April 2023.

The county’s other six district councils will also be scrapped, as well as North Yorkshire County Council which has proposed a 3.99% council tax rise for Harrogate district residents in its final budget.

There are further tax rises expected from police and services which if all approved could see council tax bills for average Band D households rise to a total of £2,079.

This comes at a time when families are facing a cost of living crisis and opposition councillors have warned many will have to choose between heating and eating to cover their bills.

‘Residents will be faced with eat or heat choice’

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council, told last night’s meeting that the authority should be using more of its cash reserves to ease the pressure on residents.

She said: 

“It is such a pity that we could not have a 0% increase in council tax to help our residents who are faced with soaring energy costs, fuel and food bills, and 1.25 percentage point in National Insurance contributions from April.

“Many residents will be faced with the eat or heat choice in 2022 – that is disgraceful.

“This is also why we should have kept our fees and charges at a 0% rise and not at least 2.5% as mentioned in many of the cabinet budget papers.

“Using our reserves would take the pressure off our residents to some small degree.”

Cllr Pauline McHardy, leader of the Ripon Independents group, also said she would have supported no increase in council tax and described the 1.99% rise as “another blow to the community”.

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Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, responded to say that not increasing council tax would be “nonsense” as the authority is also facing increasing costs and has to keep services running and its staff paid.

He also argued that no alternative budget proposals were put forward by the opposition parties and that the council’s cash reserves had been earmarked for projects.

Cllr Swift said: 

“We have to pay our staff… and we will also be squeezed by energy prices and as a result of this giving a zero council tax increase to all of our residents is nonsense.

“Despite the hardships that we will all face over the next year or so, I think most rational people recognise that global energy prices are the principal driver of the heating and electricity costs – not Harrogate Borough Council.”

‘Proud of the council’s work’

Cllr Swift added:

“£5 a week is the council tax. For that people get their bins emptied, their leaves swept, their provisions of leisure facilities and all the programmes that go with helping our most needy.

“The list is almost endless of what district councils do and I’m very proud of the work that many people in this council do to ensure that we can provide not only a balanced budget, but a controlled modest expenditure increase.”

The 1.99% rise will increase Harrogate Borough Council’s tax bills for the average Band D property up to £255.92.

The council makes up just under 13% of bills, while North Yorkshire County Council makes up 70% and police and fire services the remainder.

Parish and town councils also charge a small levy.

All 24 Conservative councillors present at last night’s Harrogate Borough Council meeting voted in favour of the 1.99% rise, while seven Liberal Democrats abstained and two Ripon Independents voted against.

Harrogate Borough Council has held onto almost £4 million of unspent money given to it from housing developers for social and community projects.

The Section 106 cash is agreed during planning talks to offset the impact of new housing and is intended to be used for improvements such as village hall refurbishments and new sports facilities.

More than £613,000 was spent on projects during 2020/21 – and the council has been praised by some communities.

But with around £3,730,000 unspent at the end of that period, there are concerns that many residents are not feeling the benefits at a time when the construction of hundreds of new homes is piling pressure on the need for community facilities.

Residents left with no community improvements

John Hansard, a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, said the area faced the construction of around 700 new homes but residents have had “nothing at all” in terms of community improvements.

He said:

“Some of this money needs to come our way.

“Harrogate can’t cope with much more new housing and to think they want to build an extra 700 homes in our area is absolutely crazy.”

Tim Ellis, who also lives in the Kingsley ward, added: 

“There is no community hall, no church halls and not even a pub any more, therefore nowhere local groups can have meetings.

“With all the new housing destroying the last of the fields, and new houses having tiny gardens, we will need a public park.

“The triangle of meadow and trees to the east of Kingsley Farmhouse bordering Kingsley Road would be ideal… but greedy developers are threatening to put houses even on this.”

Most of the money spent by Harrogate Borough Council during 2020/21 was on the purchase of affordable housing.

Cllr Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning at the council, described the funding as a tool to “support future communities across the Harrogate district” and said other projects included new play areas and open space.

He also said the authority helped North Yorkshire County Council secure around £1.2 million in the last year for improvements to roads, sustainable travel and schools.

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But when questioned by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the county council did not say how much unspent money it has held onto.

A county council spokesperson said Section 106 money has a “significant lifespan” and that the funds will be used for their intended purpose “at the appropriate time”.

Call for review of section 106 contributions

Harrogate Borough Council said it was “not unusual” for the authority to have large sums of unspent money and there were several reasons why this is the case.

It said the money is sometimes paid in instalments and cannot be spent until it has all been received. It also said parish councils often ask for the money to be saved up for larger projects.

Despite this, Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat party, said the almost £4 million unspent by Harrogate Borough Council “does seem a lot” and has called for more regular reviews of how the money is spent.

The council also collects cash through Community Infrastructure Levy contributions, which are another type of charge on new housing.

These work on a pounds-per-square-metre basis and because of recent changes to Harrogate Borough Council’s charging schedules no contributions were collected during the last financial year.

It is now intended that a review will be carried out to develop a list of spending priorities and projects.

Cllr Myatt added: 

“Payment of CIL is due upon commencement of development, therefore there will be a time lag of up to two years before the first CIL contributions are received.

“In the future, the CIL will provide us with a pot of money so that we can work with local communities and partners to provide the right infrastructure in the right places to support development and the continued growth of the Harrogate district.”

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.”

The government’s housing agency has been accused of using “bullying” tactics over controversial plans for up to 200 homes at a former police training base in Harrogate.

Homes England was granted approval for the Pannal Ash site at a meeting on Tuesday when it emerged the body had written to senior officials at Harrogate Borough Council claiming the authority acted “unlawfully” when it delayed a decision on the plans in June.

The delay was taken after questions were raised over the West Harrogate Parameters Plan – a long-delayed document on infrastructure needs for the up to 4,000 new homes set to be built in the west of the district.

Members of the council’s planning committee had hoped for a further delay on Tuesday to allow time for the parameters plan to be completed, however, they claimed they were “bullied” into approving the homes due a “threat” of legal action.

David Stephenson, senior planning manager at Homes England, said while launching a costly appeal against the council was an “absolute last resort” for the body, it was a route it was willing to take.

He told yesterday’s meeting:

“We are trying to work with officers and have been doing so for a number of months to avoid an appeal – something Homes England does not want to do.

“But if this is deferred then unfortunately we will have very little options going forward.”

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The former police site on Yew Tree Lane (pictured below) was used as a base to train more than 1,200 officers a year before it closed in 2011.

The latest plans from Homes England include the conversion of several former police buildings into 16 homes and the construction of 184 new properties, while proposals for a sports pitch have been scrapped.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said a decision on whether the scheme should go ahead should not be taken until work on the parameters plan is completed as expected in February.

‘Grossly damaging accusation’

“We are talking two months here to make sure what is done on this site is right.

“I’m very saddened Homes England thinks it is right to bully us into this decision, because that is what is on the cards today – ‘approve it or we will appeal’.”

Councillor Jim Clark, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Harlow, also accused the body of having a “bullying attitude” and said its claim that the council acted “unlawfully” was a “grossly damaging accusation”.

The west side of Harrogate currently finds itself with around a quarter of the entire housing allocations in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

This equates to around 3,500 to 4,000 new houses and residents are worried how the area’s schools, roads and health services are going to cope with this population increase.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents Association, said he believed a precedent had been set for further housing in the area as the police site was allocated for 163 homes in the Local Plan, but has now gained approval for up to 200.
He said:

“We are strongly opposed to this near 25% uplift in housing numbers.

“We are also worried about the precedent this sets, the impacts that will arise and we ask – what is the point of the Local Plan?”

Harrogate councillors have raised concerns that the authority is at “constant threat from developers” when making planning decisions.

Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh, a member of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee, said councillors were “constantly” being told that decisions they make could lead to the council being challenged at appeal.

This year, the council has seen refusals over a Starbucks on Wetherby Road and 72 homes in Spofforth challenged and overturned by the government. It has also had costs awarded against it for “unreasonable behaviour” after those appeals.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Marsh raised concern that the committee had become a “tick box exercise” and that the authority was at the mercy of developers.

She said:

“We are under constant threat from developers, we can only go with them in case we get hauled over the coals.

“I find that very, very difficult as a member of this committee. To be reminded ‘you made this decision, this is what happened’. Why have a council planning committee? It’s just a tick box exercise and I don’t want to be that.”

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Conservative Cllr Sue Lumby agreed with Cllr Marsh. She said:

“Why on earth are we sitting here if we just agree everything the officers recommend?”

Councillors were debating plans for 36 homes in Goldsborough when they raised concerns.

However council officers said councillors “hands were not tied”, but added that they must “act on the evidence” when deciding to go against officer recommendations.

“If members for whatever reason, having seen the site or know the site, disagree with the conclusion of the officer’s report then they need good evidence to justify coming to a different conclusion.”

Lost planning appeals

This year, the council failed to defend a decision to refuse a controversial plan for a Starbucks on Wetherby Road because officers said it could lead to legal costs of £50,000.

The council turned down the development back in 2019 on air quality and highways grounds, but later withdrew its objection.

The proposal, which was submitted by Euro Garages, was later approved by the government and full costs for the appeal were awarded against the council.

Meanwhile, last week a controversial plan for 72 homes in Spofforth was granted permission by the government despite Harrogate Borough Council refusing the scheme.

Siobhan Watson, a government planning inspector, awarded costs against the authority after finding its reasons for refusal to be “vague and illogical”.

In September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that planning appeals lost by the borough council had cost taxpayers almost a quarter of a million pounds in legal fees since 2012.

The leader of the  Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council has called for an independent investigation into the building of Ripon’s new swimming pool and existing leisure centre after a leading authority on ground stability in Ripon raised serious safety concerns.

Earlier this week the Stray Ferret revealed that geologist Dr Alan Thompson, an expert on the city’s long-standing gypsum and sink hole problems, had sent a strongly worded letter to councillors to highlight his concerns.

His letter referred to an inspection carried out by global consultancy firm Stantec into a “cavity” that appeared near the entrance to the existing leisure centre building in September 2020.

Dr Thompson wrote that he had to intervene as he feared Harrogate Borough Council  was not taking ground stability issues raised within the inspection seriously enough.

Read our exclusive report about Dr Thompson’s concerns and the Stantec report. 

Cllr Pat Marsh, who is the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am not a geologist or engineer but when I read that report I did see that there were some concerns about the leisure centre. I hope they are being addressed.

“That site has always been a concern. It was not easy reading. We need to do a thorough investigation because we are putting lives at risk if we don’t.

“I am now beginning to think fresh eyes would be good to make sure it is safe. We can’t just push this to one side, it is a serious issue.”

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Cllr Pauline McHardy, of Ripon Independents whose ward the leisure centre falls under, said she was “very concerned” by the report.

She said:

“I think its is very concerning, they [the council] are spending an awful lot of money on it.

“What also concerns me is that who is going to responsible for it if we go to a unitary authority?”

Cllr Stan Lumley, who is the conservative cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, told the Stray Ferret what he made of the report:

“It’s a tricky one really. Obviously we are absolutely committed to building the new pool and renovating the existing leisure centre.

“There is a history of ground conditions we were completely aware of. We had taken professional advice to mitigate as far as possible any problems on the site.

“We have invested a great deal of money to get the area safe and prepared for construction. We are now investigating and will address any issues that come up.”

On Tuesday Harrogate Borough Council responded Stray Ferret questions about Dr Thompson’s concerns by issuing a statement:

“Given the well-known ground conditions in Ripon, we employed qualified and experienced geologists and geo-technic engineers to carry out necessary investigation works and advice on what would be required to provide this much need facility.

“A total of 441 grouting sites received 3,043 tonnes of grout which, along with the casting of a reinforced concrete slab, provides the foundation for the new swimming pool building.

“The void which is underneath the existing leisure centre is understood to have been present a number of years. This was only discovered as a result of the work to prepare the new swimming pool site.

“It is now being investigated and should any remedial work be required then it will be carried out.

A local firm has stepped in to restore the information plaque in Harrogate’s Stonefall Park after it was damaged by vandals.

The plaque, which gives visitors information on the history of the park, including Queen Victoria passing on the former train line that ran alongside it, is thought to have been smashed with a rock on March 20 or 21 this year.

Police said it was hit with “considerable force”. At the time, it was estimated it would cost £300 to repair.

However, a local firm Platinum Print, came forward and offered to repair the damage for free.

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Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh, whose Hookstone ward includes the park, said the move had restored her faith in the local community.

She said:

“Hookstone and Stonefall Action Group were totally taken aback by such a generous offer and now the results of that work are clear for everyone to see and enjoy again. It has restored our faith in our community.

“When we saw the devastation created by these mindless people, we thought it would take a lot of time to fundraise to repair but Platinum Print came to our rescue and we and the wider community, cannot thank them enough.”

North Yorkshire councils facing reorganisation have spent almost £330,000 of taxpayers’ cash on consultants to help fight their corner on the future of key services, it’s been revealed.

A government-run consultation on the reorganisation plans, which will see Harrogate Borough Council abolished, has this week come to a close.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is set to make a decision this summer on whether a single authority for all of the county or two bodies split on an east/west basis should replace the current two-tier system.

People in the Harrogate district currently pay for services provided by Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

The aim is to save money by bringing all council services including highways, planning and education under the control of a streamlined structure, but leaders are deeply divided and can not agree how to go about it.

It has meant the seven district councils – including Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Craven, Hambleton, Ryedale and Richmondshire – have spent around £240,000 on consultants in support of their joint east/west bid, although Hambleton has since pulled out.

North Yorkshire County Council has used just under £90,000 for its single authority proposal.

Councillor Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“This was an extensive piece of work requiring professional input, public consultation and modelling. The costs of the work were shared between all the district councils in North Yorkshire and represent a tiny fraction of our overall budgets.

“Looking after the elderly, children with exceptional needs, the homeless and those least fortunate in our society isn’t something we can leave to chance.

“That is why it was important for all seven councils to contribute to make sure we got this right. And we have.”

But the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Harrogate Borough Council has criticised the almost £330,000 spends from all councils, saying public cash has been “wasted” on “Tory infighting”.

Group leader councillor Pat Marsh said:

“Many people will see this as their own political interests, rather than giving much-needed investment to our local services.”

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Councillor Carl Les, leader of the county council, said:

“The reason we have used consultants is because we are talking about very big proposals which involve a lot of money.

“The county council has a budget of over half a billion pounds and if you add in another £100m on top of that from the districts, there is a need to make sure our assumptions are correct.

“We wanted to be sure our plans are solid as they can possibly be, and they are.”

Process complete by April 2023

North Yorkshire County Council used consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, while the districts employed the services of KPMG .

They each produced lengthy reports on how services should be managed and public cash spent under the reorganisation plans, which are linked to a potential multi-billion pound devolution deal with the government.

City of York Council, which wants to remain a unitary council under the county bid, did not use any consultants as part of the process but did spend £6,400 on an agency firm, as well as £5,500 on a market research organisation to conduct polling.

Elections for county councillors are being held across England next month but not in North Yorkshire due to the reorganisation plans.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, it is expected that any new North Yorkshire unitary council or councils would be fully operational from April 2023, with transitional arrangements and elections to the new structure set to take place in 2022.