A total of £40,688 has been given to 14 community groups and charities by The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.  

The grants of up to £3,000 each will fund activities for young people and older people, sports clubs, mental health and wellbeing groups, and help people affected by the cost of living crisis.  

Some of the projects funded by the grant include:  

• Lifeline Harrogate, which received £2,600 to fund a lunch club for local people who have recently been homeless 
• Ripon Community Link, which was given £3,000 for a sensory garden that improves the mental health of people with disabilities or neurodivergency 
• Harrogate & District Community Action, which used the £2,688 grant on a friend and exercise club for isolated people over the age of 65 

The fund is a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action, and Two Ridings Community Foundation, with donations from the Harry Bolland Trust Fund, The Local Lotto and businesses and individuals.  

Two Ridings Community Fund has found that many community groups are still struggling after the pandemic with funding, turnover of key staff, poor mental health, and the cost of living crisis.  

Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, which administers the funding, said: 

“We are delighted that 14 small community groups benefit, because we know they make a huge impact on the wellbeing of local people all over the district.” 

Councillor Sam Gibbs, who is a panel member for The Local Fund, added:   

“The work these numerous organisations and charities do makes such a huge difference so I’d like to thank everyone involved in providing this on-going support.”

Read more: 

• Harrogate district community groups encouraged to apply for £2,500 grants
• Harrogate’s Local Lotto raises over £160,000 for good causes

The Local Fund has been running in Harrogate since 2017, and last year it donated over £80,000 to 29 different community groups in the district.  

This year, the groups receiving funding are:  

• Wellspring Therapy & Training 
• Harrogate & District Community Action 
• Mind in Harrogate district  
• Lifeline Harrogate  
• Harlow Hill Community Centre Association 
• The Trauma Centre Community Interest Company 
• Little Ouseburn village hall CIO 
• Jennyruth Workshops 
• Pine Street Allotments 
• Ripon Community Link  
• Samaritans of Harrogate and District  
• Harrogate Town AFC 
• Yorkshire Yoga  
• Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington  

Thousands of Harrogate households still waiting for their £150 council tax rebates should be able to apply before the end of this month, the borough council has said.

Around 34,000 households have received the payouts to help with soaring energy bills, but an estimated 15,000 are still unable to apply.

This is because they do not pay council tax by direct debit – and there are warnings that some of the poorest homes are having to wait the longest.

Campaign group National Energy Action said it is typically the poorest households that do not pay by direct debit – either because they do not have a bank account or because they manage their finances on an ad hoc basis.

Its chief executive Adam Scorer said:

“There are serious concerns that those with the greatest need will be least able to access the money.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Borough Council leader reshuffles top team
• Climate change should be top priority for new councillors, says Harrogate group

The government announced the support in February and said councils were expected to start paying the £150 rebates from April.

But many councils have struggled to administer the payments at short notice, including Harrogate Borough Council which said setting up applications for non-direct debit households has been a “complex” process.

A council spokesperson said:

“To date, we have paid more than 34,000 households across the Harrogate district the £150 energy rebate.

“The process for launching an application form for non-direct debit payers is complex and also involves pre-payment checks to prevent fraud, as well as a system to ensure payment can be made to eligible residents promptly after making a successful application.

“We anticipate this form being published via our website at the end of the month.”

The payments are available to homes in council tax bands A to D, and those which pay by direct debit will receive the money automatically.

The different process for households who don’t pay council tax by direct debit has attracted criticism from the local Liberal Democrats, who said some residents are being “disadvantaged”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“There should be no excuses for delaying this process or making it overly complicated.

“The application form should have been on the council website immediately.

“In fact, the best way to have done all this would have been to just take the £150 off the council tax bills for this year.

“When I raised this issue at council, I was told it was too late as the bills had already been printed, but they could have put an application form in the council tax bill envelope.

“Why insist on people jumping through unnecessary hoops?”

As well as the £150 council tax rebate, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills for all domestic electricity customers from October.

However, unlike the council tax rebate, this discount will be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over a five year period from 2023, when it is hoped global wholesale gas prices will have come down.

For more information on the council tax rebate, go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/council-tax.