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19
Apr 2023
Concern Harrogate charities will lose out with new ‘mayor-lite’ position
The final mayor of the Harrogate borough Victoria Oldham says the new charter mayor position will see charities lose out on profile-boosting visits.
Cllr Michael Harrison was appointed on Monday (April 17) as the charter mayor of Harrogate for the next 12 months.
But his role will be much-reduced from the former Harrogate Borough Council mayor who attended hundreds of events and functions across the district every year.
By contrast, the charter mayor is only expected to attend around a dozen events over the next year. Cllr Harrison described the role as ‘mayor-lite’.
Former councillor and mayor Victoria Oldham attended the meeting at the Civic Centre where she congratulated Cllr Harrison and wished him well.
But after the meeting she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that organisations in Harrogate will suffer due to the charter mayor’s leaner schedule.
Ms Oldham said:
Read more:
- Councillor Michael Harrison appointed first charter mayor of Harrogate
- Mayor of Ripon nominated to serve a third term in office
North Yorkshire Council has allocated an annual budget of £12,100 for Harrogate charter trustee business.
However, if a Harrogate Town Council is created, it will assume responsibility for the mayoral position from North Yorkshire Council should it want it.
It could then decide to allocated more money to a mayoral position that would see its role expanded, which Ms Oldham said she would be in favour of.
She added:
Ms Oldham, who was the Conservative councillor for the Washburn ward on Harrogate Borough Council until it was abolished on March 31, also said some people don’t always appreciate the volume of work that went into the mayoral position.
She said:
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