A third consultation has been opened on plans to create a Harrogate town council.
The town council would be formed for administrative purposes from April 1, 2025, and the first elections would be on May 1, 2025.
North Yorkshire Council has said residents could expect to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to pay for the new council.
Harrogate and Scarborough are the only part of North Yorkshire which do not have a parish or town council.
Harrogate was due to get its own town council this year but it was delayed for a year after councillors asked to redraw the ward boundaries.
Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which were based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward on the town council with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.
But Conservative councillors raised concerns, including Cllr John Mann, who represents Oatlands and Pannal. He said accountability to residents would be better served by single councillor wards.
He told a council meeting at the time:
“These arrangements will be with us for many decades to come and we need to get it right.”
Cllr Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat councillor subsequently told the Stray Ferret the concern over ward arrangements was a “red herring” and later urged the council to speed up the process.
Cllr David Chance, the council’s executive member for corporate services, said in a statement yesterday:
“The public consultation already carried out has shown that there is widespread support for town councils to be created for both Harrogate and Scarborough.
“We now want to get the wards right so are asking for views on that before the end of this month. Then we can take a final decision to introduce the town councils which will provide more democratically-elected voices for both areas which is vital as we deliver key services.”
You can take part in the consultation here.
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