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Jul 2020

Harrogate

Campaign group brands civic centre 'shocking and ridiculous waste of money'

Published: 14 Jul 2020, 17:15 BST

by Vicky Carr

The Taxpayers' Alliance has called the civic centre a 'vanity project', after The Stray Ferret revealed it cost millions more than the council told local taxpayers.

Harrogate Borough Council's new civic centre has been branded a 'vanity project' by a campaign group focused on the good use of public money.

The comments from the Taxpayers' Alliance comes after The Stray Ferret investigated the costs and decisions around the civic centre, finding its true cost to taxpayers was £17m.

Having seen the investigation, Harry Fone, grassroots campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance said:

"This is an absolutely shocking and ridiculous waste of money. Poor council procurement and planning has cost taxpayers dearly.

"Residents have faced year after year of rate rises. They don't deserve to see their hard-earned taxes frittered away on council vanity projects.

"It is essential that every penny of public funds delivers maximum possible value. Harrogate council must clean up its act and stop taking ratepayers for a ride."

Political reaction

Harrogate Liberal Democrat opposition group has also slammed the council's spending on the project.

Cllr Pat Marsh, who leads the group on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Liberal Democrat councillors have opposed this move from the very beginning, arguing that it’s a shocking waste of money and we should be investing in the services that touch people’s daily lives.

“However our opposition was ignored by Conservative councillors who stressed at great length that this would be a £9million project which ‘will pay for itself within five years’. Our residents need to know whether this is still the case, and if not, why not? It is their money and they deserve answers.”