Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has brought his call for North Yorkshire Council to return the Harrogate Spring Water money to Harrogate to Parliament.
In ministerial questions last week, Tom asked the Minister to grant time for a debate on local government reorganisation.
Tom called on the Government to make sure that local communities aren’t missing out when new “super councils” such as North Yorkshire Council, are created.
Harrogate town council and Tom Gordon have so far been, to all intents and purposes, been told “no” by North Yorkshire Council on receiving the Harrogate Spring Water money.
Every year, the company pays Harrogate 0.5% of its revenue for the use of its name, which generally amounts to around £170,000.
Since July’s General Election, the Labour government has announced plans to abolish the two-tier system of district and county councils across England, and replace them with large unitary councils.
Tom said:
“Our super council at North Yorkshire is depriving Harrogate of much-needed funds to help the town thrive. We were promised a local council, but North Yorkshire is clearly anything but.
"Towns as far apart as Skipton, Harrogate and Scarborough – to name a few – were never realistically going to be ‘local’ to each other.
“North Yorkshire Council have, I am sure, managed this money ably for 3 years, but the time has come to return it to the town. No one believes North Yorkshire should continue to pocket this money.
"They must do what is clearly the right thing, and return the money.
“If not, they are simply proving that they aren’t a ‘local’ council. Reclaiming the money was a key plank of the Lib Dem campaign, and we won an overwhelming majority. North Yorkshire should now listen.”
Tom also asked the Minister to join him in congratulating all of the newly elected Harrogate Town Councillors.
The new town council convened for its first meeting last Wednesday, where it began the process of setting out how it will operate over the coming years.
Tom said:
“I wish the best of luck to the new town council, and look forward to working with them as they restore a local voice for our town and stand up to Northallerton.”
In response, the Minister, Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, joined Tom in congratulating the councillors and said that there would be adequate debate in the House over local government reorganisation.
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