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21
Jan
Fifteen months ago, North Yorkshire Council went to the people of Harrogate to ask whether they wanted a town council.
The idea was to set up a parish authority following the loss of Harrogate Borough Council.
Since then, a new unitary council has been set up, a second consultation has been held and the UK has changed Prime Minister twice.
The length of time lapsed has also caused political friction.
The Stray Ferret has followed the saga since its inception. In this article, we take a look at why it is taking so long.
Andrew Jones MP pictured at Monday's meeting.
However, the Conservatives say that Northallerton has to decide what the town council will do before it is set up and, ultimately, charges people council tax.
It has previously been suggested by the council that residents would pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to cover as yet undetermined services for the town council.
Mr Jones told the area committee on Monday that council officials needed to do more work on the planned authority.
He said:
The cost to conduct further consultation is expected to take the total sum for the process over £100,000.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council when it expects to undertake its third consultation and how much it will cost.
But, we did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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