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Tories in Harrogate call for slimmed-down town council

Thursday, 6 July 2023 12:00

Two Conservative councillors in Harrogate say the proposed number of councillors elected to a future Harrogate Town Council should be reduced from 19 to 10.

Tories in Harrogate call for slimmed-down town council Two Conservative councillors in Harrogate say the proposed number of councillors elected to a future Harrogate Town Council should be reduced from 19 to 10. Cllr Sam Gibbs put forward the idea on behalf of himself and Cllr Michael Harrison at a meeting of the council’s standards and governance committee in Northallerton yesterday. The two would also like to see councillors elected to a single council without wards, which they believe would allow the new council to work more effectively and not replicate the work of NYC councillors on things like potholes and streetlights. North Yorkshire Council is developing proposals for a town council for Harrogate and Scarborough as they are the only two unparished areas in the county. Officers have recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, based around current NYC divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward with the exception of Saltergate which would have 1 councillor. But Cllr Gibbs, who represents the Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate division, said he’s skeptical of its potential size which he said would be “unweildy”. He said:

“A smaller number of councillors would be more desirable. It’s important if we create a parish council we get this right.”
Cllr Gibbs also said residents do not have attachment with the current council boundaries that would also be used for the town council. He gave the example of his own division, which was created out of a combination of the old High Harrogate and Low Harrogate wards and includes over 6,000 households. He said electing councillors to one council area would allow for a more “strategic” approach to local democracy. However, Monika Slater, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange & New Park, said she was not in favour of their proposals. She said:
“The idea of having a single election for a handful of councillors representing the town as a whole is one I’m thoroughly against. "The feedback I’m getting from residents is they are feeling a disconnect between themselves and North Yorkshire. They find it mysterious. "They don’t really understand who is making decisions. Setting up a town council is about giving them that connection again.”
Cllrs Gibbs and Harrison also suggested an option whereby one councillor is elected per ward rather than the two that have been proposed by NYC and this was supported by independent councillor for Filey, Sam Cross. He also said councillors should be organised by former district council wards, meaning there would be 19 councillors in Harrogate elected to 19 wards. The proposal was backed by Conservative councillor for Easingworld, Nigel Knapton, who said:
“With two member wards you can have one person doing all the work and all the political shenanigans in that ward. With one you understand exactly who to go to in your ward.”
However, there were warnings from Cllr Slater that if the council decides to change how the town councils are formulated there would have to be a third public consultation which could confuse residents and risk delaying the process. Councillors took a vote on Cllr Cross’s recommendation to create one member wards in Harrogate and Scarborough based around the previous district council ward boundaries. With the votes tied 3-3, the chair of the committee, Conservative councillor Clive Pearson voted in favour so it was carried. It was only a recommendation, however, and a final decision to create a town council has not been made yet. A full meeting of North Yorkshire Council will debate the proposals at a meeting on July 19. By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.

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