Harrogate Town Council: Key questions answered

Harrogate residents will soon again be asked for their views on creating a Harrogate Town Council.

They’d be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja-vu as it will be third time documents have been dropped in letterboxes with information and questions about how it should be formed.

For some, creating another layer of local democracy so soon after the demise of Harrogate Borough Council is an unpalatable thought.

But Harrogate, along with Scarborough, are the only two areas in the county without a town or parish council and proponents say the council will give the town a voice and help hold North Yorkshire Council to account.

How much will it cost?

Perhaps the most pertinent question for residents during a cost-of-living crisis is how much the new council will cost them.

If it’s created then an annual sum, called a precept, will be added to every council tax bill to help pay for services.

The council has said that households would initially be asked to pay between £40 and £60 to allow for an annual budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The budget would be spent on accommodation, employment costs, office and IT equipment, insurance, professional fees, the mayor and delivering services.

The precept would be lower than Ripon City Council, which charges £70.77 for band D properties, but higher than Knaresborough Town Council, which charges £25.27.

However, another cost that has alarmed councillors is the combined cost of the three public consultations. It was revealed at a recent meeting that the bill for these is likely to come to £140,000.

What powers will it have?

The council would be a statutory consultee on planning applications in Harrogate, which would give it a voice if it felt strongly about a particular application.

But it would not have power to make decisions as applications would still in the hands of North Yorkshire Council.

When the new unitary council was formed, it pledged to hand back some powers to parish or town councils through a project it has called double-devolution.

It could mean Harrogate Town Council is much more powerful than it would have been without this pledge.

It could bid to run services in the town such as looking after its parks or the Stray, operating car parks or managing the Royal Hall.

But this will only be decided once the council has formed and councillors have been elected.

How many councillors will there be?

There are set to be 19 councillors on the council and they will represent wards based around the former Harrogate Borough Council boundaries.

These are not used by North Yorkshire Council, which decided to use larger divisions.

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Councillors considered having two councillors per ward after it was backed in the previous consultation but the Conservatives said accountability to residents would be better served with single councillor wards.

Councillors who already sit on North Yorkshire Council are able to stand in town council elections.

In most parish councils, councillors sit as independent members, however, they can also stand for political parties.

When will elections take place?

If residents approve the proposals laid out in the next consultation, the council would likely form in April 2025 with elections taking place in May, although this has not been confirmed yet.

This is a year later than originally planned but it’s been put back in order for the third consultation to take place.

Harrogate Lib Dem claims Tories using delaying tactics to avoid town council

A row over the creation of Harrogate Town Council has continued with a Liberal Democrat councillor claiming the Conservatives are attempting to delay the process because they fear they’d lose the election.

This month North Yorkshire Council agreed to hold a third public consultation on the creation of a Harrogate Town Council, which is now likely to form in 2025, a year later originally than planned.

Despite residents backing plans for two councillors to represent single wards in the previous consultation, Conservative councillors want single councillor wards based around the 19 former Harrogate Borough Council boundaries.

A consultation on the new proposals is expected to begin this year.

The move has frustrated opposition parties including the Liberal Democrats, which would like to see the currently unparished area of Harrogate represented by a town council as soon as possible.

Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, Chris Aldred, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he believes the Conservatives “do not like town councils” and also want to delay the process in order to avoid the electorate at the ballot box. 

He said:

“The truth is that they feel the further away they can push any possible election, the better for them. They know what the public think of them, nationally and locally, and they are running very, very scared.”

One of the most vocal opponents of the two councillors per ward proposals has been Conservative councillor for Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, Michael Harrison, who also sits on the council’s decision-making executive.

This year, Cllr Harrison was unanimously chosen by Harrogate councillors as its first charter mayor. However, Cllr Aldred suggested the Lib Dems, which is the largest party in Harrogate, now regret backing him due to his stance on the town council. 

He added: 

“We installed Cllr Harrison as our charter mayor for this year, partly in the hope it would educate him in the important role played by the mayoralty in our town, which can’t legally be continued or expanded upon, without a fully functional town council.

“We had the numbers to put in one of our own, but we felt this issue was actually so important, we were prepared to forgo this civic honour and elect a Tory. So we are doubly disappointed that he still continues in his attempts to usurp the creation of a democratically elected town council.”

Michael Harrison

Cllr Michael Harrison

In response, Cllr Harrison told the LDRS that local politics and the mayoralty are “strictly separate.” He said:

“I am honoured to be the mayor of Harrogate and was very grateful that my fellow councillors elected me to represent them. It has been a pleasure to carry out various civic duties over the last five months, and I will continue to do so for the rest of the civic year.

“It is no secret that I remain to be convinced of the need for a town council but recognise that colleagues continue to make the case, and I will be happy to support a decision at the right time.

“I make no apology for trying to ensure that if we are to create a new town council, that it is structured in the best way possible, we understand what it might achieve and what strategic objectives it will deliver in return for the precept that the residents of the town will have no choice to pay.”

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The Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council Cllr Carl Les described  Cllr Aldred’s claim that the Tories are against town councils as “nonsense”.

Cllr Les told the LDRS: 

“Most of my colleagues in the Conservative group have served on parish councils themselves and we all attend parish councils in our divisions. If we didn’t value their role, we wouldn’t have proposed offering the two communities in North Yorkshire which aren’t parished the opportunity to create two new parish councils.

“However it is important to get this right, as these bodies will be existence for many years to come, so it’s right to take time at the start. Cllr Aldred raised some points about warding which we are now addressing, so I don’t know why he is now criticising us. We have to do this with communities, not to them, so we need some further consultation.”

Taxpayers set to foot £140,000 bill for three Harrogate Town Council consultations

The combined cost of three public consultations about the creation of Harrogate Town Council is likely to be £140,000, a senior Conservative councillor has said.

This week at a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council, councillors debated proposals to create a town council for Harrogate.

The council would be similar to parish councils in Knaresborough and Ripon but as yet, it has not been confirmed what services it might deliver.

In a second public consultation held earlier this year, residents backed the creation of two councillor wards arranged by the current 10 North Yorkshire Council divisions. Saltergate would have had one councillor.

However, Conservative councillors said they didn’t want to proceed with this model and instead wanted to see single councillor wards based around the 19 former Harrogate Borough Council boundaries.

Councillors ultimately voted by 49 to 32 to back these plans with another public consultation now legally required. It means the new council is not likely to be formed before 2025 — a year later than originally planned.

During the debate, councillors raised concerns about the cost of holding another consultation.

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Later in the meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, Chris Aldred, asked the Conservative executive member for corporate services, David Chance, how much the previous two consultations had cost and how much it would cost to “yet again” go out to the public.

Cllr Chance said that £45,270 was spent on the first consultation and £46,486 on the second with the money spent on printing, postage costs and digital marketing.

He said if the council decides to proceed with a third consultation that would be similar in form the the previous two, it would cost another £48,000.

Although he added that “there are other ways of carrying out this consultation at a much lower cost” but did not give any specifics.

Third consultation to be held on creation of Harrogate town council

People will be asked for their views for a third time about the creation of a Harrogate town council, councillors agreed yesterday.

It means the new council is now likely to form in 2025, a year later than originally planned.

Councillors debated proposals yesterday at a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council in Northallerton.

Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which are 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.

This followed a public consultation that overwhelmingly backed this arrangement.

However, Conservative councillors have raised concerns about two councillors representing one ward and instead backed a proposal to use single councillor wards based around the 19 former Harrogate Borough Council boundaries.

Conservative councillor for Oatlands and Pannal, John Mann said accountability to residents would be better served by single councillor wards. 

He said:

“These arrangements will be with us for many decades to come and we need to get it right.”

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Conservative councillor for Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, Michael Harrison, said he had not detected any appetite in Harrogate for the creation of a town council, particularly as it was still not clear how much the council would cost or what it would do.

It has previously been suggested by the council that residents would pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to cover as yet undetermined services.

Cllr Harrison said:

“I don’t understand what the rush is. It’s got to be absolutely right. Let’s pause and think about this a bit longer, although I am mindful of continual consultation and cost.”

At the meeting, several Liberal Democrat councillors said they wanted to stick with the original proposals and suggested ignoring the wishes of the previous public consultation would risk undermining democracy.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

Cllr Monika Slate, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange and New Park, said:

“We’ve spent time and money consulting the public and they have spoken overwhelmingly to support the proposals put forward.

“We can’t keep asking the public questions and ignoring them when they give us an answer.”

Liberal Democrat councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, Pat Marsh said:

“We asked, they’ve spoken, we now need to get on and deliver on what they responded to. We need to get on with making sure we get a Harrogate council in place ASAP, otherwise we’re letting people down.”

Councillors voted by 49 to 32 with three abstentions to consult the public on the town council being formed with single councillor wards based around the old borough council ward boundaries.

North Yorkshire Council will publish details of the next consultation at a later date.

Harrogate town council creation could be delayed by another consultation

Residents are set to be asked for a third time about their views on a potential Harrogate town council — but another consultation could mean its formation is put back from April 2024.

Officers had recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which are based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward in the town council with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.

But councillors at a meeting last week raised concerns that this arrangement would be “unwieldy” and they would instead prefer to create one-member wards based around the 19 old Harrogate Borough Council ward boundaries. 

If the council decides to proceed with the original plans it is hoped the new council could be formed by next spring with elections taking place in May 2024.

This could now change with a report that will go before a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council next Wednesday in Northallerton recommending that councillors ask residents for their views on the new proposals that were suggested last week.

The report says as the public were not asked for their opinion on the revised warding pattern, there is a legal risk in proceeding without another consultation exercise.

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Councillors who backed the changes included Conservative member for Easingwold Nigel Knapton who said last week it was important for residents that the new council is set up correctly, even though another consultation risked putting back the process by another year.

But Liberal Democrat member for Bilton Grange and New Park, Monika Slater, said another consultation would confuse residents who had already been asked for their views twice before.

There has also been concerns about engagement in the previous consultations with just 4.7% of eligible households responding to the latest round that ran for nine weeks from March to May this year.

Of these, 65% said they backed the creation of the new council.

How much would the new council cost?

Despite it not being confirmed what services the council would run, Harrogate households would be asked to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year if a Harrogate Town Council was created.

North Yorkshire Council has said the town council’s council tax precept would allow for an annual budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.

The budget would be spent on accommodation, employment costs, office and IT equipment, insurance, professional fees, the mayor and delivering services.

It anticipates there would be a surplus in the first year of the town council, which would go to reserves for use in future years and “enable the parish to begin on a secure financial footing”.

The precept would be lower than Ripon City Council, which charges £70.77 for band D properties, but higher than Knaresborough Town Council, which charges £25.27.

Tories in Harrogate call for slimmed-down town council

Two Conservative councillors have called for the proposed number of people 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 North Yorkshire Council councillors on issues like potholes and streetlights.

North Yorkshire Council is developing proposals to create town councils for Harrogate and Scarborough, which are the only two unparished areas in the county.

Officers have recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate, which are based on current North Yorkshire Council divisions, be represented by two councillors per ward with the exception of Saltergate, which would have one councillor.

But Cllr Gibbs, who represents the Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate division, said he was skeptical of the new council’s potential size, which he said would be “unwieldy”.

He said:

“A smaller number of councillors would be more desirable. It’s important if we create a parish council we get this right.”

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

Cllr Gibbs also said residents do not have attachments 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, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange and 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.”

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Cllrs Gibbs and Harrison also suggested an option whereby one councillor is elected per ward rather than the two that have been proposed by North Yorkshire Council and this was supported by independent councillor for Filey, Sam Cross.

However, there were warnings from Cllr Slater that if the council decided 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 voted on Cllr Cross’ 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.

In numbers: Harrogate town council consultation response

Almost two-thirds of Harrogate residents who took part in the latest consultation have backed a Harrogate Town Council being set up next year.

Every household in what would become the Harrogate parish had the chance to take part in the consultation, which ran for nine weeks from March 2.

However there were only 1,698 responses to the consultation, which makes up 4.7% of eligble households.

We took a deeper look at the numbers to gauge how the public in Harrogate feels about more councillors and a new layer of local democracy being created.

‘We want a more local council’

There were 1,104 respondents (65.0%) who agreed with the recommendation to create a town council called Harrogate Town Council.

With repeated criticism of the new Northallerton-based North Yorkshire Council being too remote, there were 196 additional comments from people saying local representation and decision-making is needed in Harrogate.

Meanwhile, 36 respondents said a town council would be better equipped to look after Harrogate’s heritage and interests and would also be able to improve local services.

‘Waste of money’

Just a few months after the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council many questioned the need to set up a new council for the town.

There were 483 respondents (28%) who said they did not want one setting up.

It has not been confirmed what powers the new council would have but Harrogate households would be asked to pay between £40 and £60 on top of their council tax each year to pay for it.

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This led to 215 respondents saying they were against the proposal because it would be a “waste of money”.

One person said they wanted to see the return of Harrogate Borough Council instead.

Size of new council

North Yorkshire Council has recommended that each of the proposed 10 wards in Harrogate be represented by two councillors per ward, with the exception of Saltergate which would have one councillor, taking the total number of councillors to 19.

This is just under half the number of councillors of Harrogate Borough Council, which had 40 but covered the whole Harrogate district including Ripon and Knaresborough.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

When asked about the size of the new council, 956 respondents (56%) said they were happy with the size whereas 501 (30%) were not and 241 (14%) were not sure.

Of those who disagreed with the size, 52 people commented that one councillor per ward would be a better arrangement for the new council.

Demographics of consultation

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the highest numbers of responses come from people aged 50 to 64 and 65 to 74.

There were just 37 responses from people in their 20s and 98 from people in their 30s, raising questions about how engaged younger people are in the process to create a town council.

North Yorkshire Council has proposed that the elections to the new council be held on May 2 next year for a reduced terms of three years, with ordinary elections taking place in 2027 and every four years thereafter.

A final decision to create a town council has not been made yet and a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council will debate the proposals later this year.

Harrogate town council set to be formed as 66% back the idea

Plans to create a Harrogate town council look set to go ahead after a second consultation revealed the majority of respondents support the idea.

Letters were posted to 35,583 homes in Harrogate inviting them to have their say on the subject.

The results, published today, reveal 65.5% said they were in favour of the move — which would lead to the creation of a new council tax charge.

However, just 1,698 responded, which represents just 4.7% of households.

North Yorkshire Council launched the second consultation as part of a community governance review in March.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which are set to pay extra council tax to fund the town council.

The first consultation in Harrogate, which began in August last year and received only a 3.5% response rate, revealed 75% supported a town council — so support has waned.

In a report due before councillors on Wednesday, a recommendation will be made to refer the responses to full council later this year.

Cllr David Chance, executive councillor for corporate services at the council, said:

“The public consultations which have been carried out in the areas under review have shown that there is support among residents who responded to the consultation for town councils to be created for both Harrogate and Scarborough.

“Full consultations have been conducted to gauge the public’s opinions on the proposals, and the recommendation is now for a full council meeting to discuss the plans for the two new councils.

“If the decision is taken to introduce the town councils for both Harrogate and Scarborough, this will provide more democratically-elected voices for both areas to ensure that the views of local people are heard effectively to help us deliver key services.”

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Establishing a town council, with yet to be determined powers, is expected to create an additional annual council tax charge of between £40 and £60 for the homes affected.

The town councils would be formed for administrative purposes from April 2024, and the first elections would be on May 2, 2024, when councillors would be elected for a reduced term of three years. Elections would then take place every four years from 2027.

The parish would be divided into divisions, based largely on the divisions that now apply since North Yorkshire Council was established in the spring.

A total of 19 members would be elected to the town council.

Civic society backs creation of Harrogate town council

Harrogate Civic Society has backed plans to create a Harrogate Town Council.

A second consultation on whether to set-up a town council runs until May 5.

North Yorkshire County Council said in March the move would require 35,000 households to pay an additional council tax charge of between £40 and £60.

However, in its submission to the consultation the civic society said the establishment of a town council would mean key decisions could be made by local councillors “who live in the town”.

It added it would want to see the authority take on more powers over time.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

The areas in Harrogate which would fall under the new town council.

Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council.

The civic society submission said:

“The society aims to celebrate our past, enhance our present and shape our future. We believe that this can best be done with a Harrogate town council, so key decisions will be made by local councillors who live in the town.

“We note the possible remit of the new council set out in the consultation document, but would like to see it have more of a role over time.

“This would enable opportunities to raise income, protect and enhance the key assets of the town, have a greater say in planning and development (through a neighbourhood plan), and promote a vision for the town which makes it a premier spa and floral town.”

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The group added it wished to work with the town council in future to “keep the town the jewel in the crown of North Yorkshire”.

Last week local Liberal Democrats came out in favour of the creation of a town council.

Eight Liberal Democrats, including former Harrogate borough councillors and current North Yorkshire councillors, signed a letter in support.

They said the move would enable locally-elected councillors to take control of assets such as off-street car parks, the Stray, Royal Hall, Sun Pavilion and Valley Gardens.

A total of 75% favoured setting up a Harrogate town council in last year’s first consultation but only 1,250 homes — 3.5% of those affected — responded. The low response rate triggered concerns about the validity of the response.

A second consultation into the creation of a town council will close next Friday (May 5). You can have your say here.

‘Undemocratic’ to ask Harrogate residents to pay for town council without stating its powers

A consultation about a potential Harrogate town council has been called “undemocratic” because it says residents would have to pay up to £60 a year extra without stating what powers it might have.

North Yorkshire Council is running a second consultation on whether a town council for Harrogate should be created.

Consultation documents say how much residents in band D properties are likely to pay through their council tax to cover services provided by the new town council.

North Yorkshire Council said the town council’s council tax precept would allow for an annual budget in the range of £1m to £1.6m.

Knaresborough and Ripon both currently have their own councils that charge a precept to provide services such as allotments, public events and small parks.

However, it is unclear at this stage what services a potential Harrogate town council would deliver.

There would be 19 councillors elected to the town council with elections taking place on May 2, 2024.

‘Unfair and undemocratic’

Speaking at a residents’ meeting last week, Michael Schofield, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Harlow and St Georges, criticised the consultation process and said people were not sure what they would be voting for if the town council was created.

He said:

“It’s alright talking about flower beds but we still don’t know what North Yorkshire Council’s executive are going to let a town council have control of.

“It’s unfair and undemocratic not to be told what we going being asked to pay for and voting for. They need to let us know.”

His view is shared by the final mayor of the Harrogate borough, Victoria Oldham, who was the Conservative councillor for Washburn on Harrogate Borough Council until March 31.

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Ms Oldham is backing the creation of a town council but said people interested in becoming councillors should be getting around the table with North Yorkshire Council now to discuss what powers it might have.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“There’s no point in saying you’ll have a town council if you don’t say what you’re supposed to be running so those people interested in being on the town council need to be coming together now and putting a plan forward. There needs to be some sort of mediation.

“Saying suddenly you have a town council and not knowing what you’ll be responsible for is going to be awkward.”

In response, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, Conservative Cllr David Chance, said:

“A town council for Harrogate is aimed at ensuring that the views of residents are represented at the most local level and helping to provide the services that are so important to the public.

“We are undertaking a consultation to get people’s opinions on the detailed
recommendations for the town council.

“Harrogate and Scarborough are the only parts of the county not to have a parish or town council. When North Yorkshire Council launched on April 1 after the previous eight local authorities in the county merged, a central pledge of this change was to enable town and parish councils to take on greater responsibility if they want and are able to.

“Residents of unparished parts of Scarborough and Harrogate were invited last summer to say whether they wanted to create new town councils. More than two-thirds of residents who responded in the two towns were in favour of the idea.

“We believe that the chance for town councils for both Harrogate and Scarborough will be fundamental in making sure local democracy can be as effective as possible, and I would urge the public to have their say during the latest consultation, which is running until Friday, May 5.“

Residents can take part in the consultation by visiting www.northyorks.gov.uk/CGR. Paper copies are available by calling 01609 536400 or emailing cgr@northyorks.gov.uk.