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24
Dec 2021
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:
Cllr Cooper, who will stand down as a Conservative after 24 years of service when the new authority is created, added:
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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:
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:
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