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13
Nov 2022
Harrogate district parish councils 'enraged' by plans to set up unelected community networks
A Harrogate district councillor has said parish councils are "absolutely enraged" by plans to create Community Networks.
North Yorkshire County Council wants to create up to 30 networks to champion residents and businesses across the county.
It is hoped they will “fill the void” left by the abolition of district and borough councils, including Harrogate, in April next year. But some councillors have concerns about setting up unelected networks.
Nick Brown, a Conservative councillor representing Bishop Monkton, said democratically-elected parish councils in his area were “absolutely enraged at the potential for conflict” with the networks. He said:
Cllr Brown was speaking at a county council meeting this week which heard the networks would serve about a quarter of the population of a district or borough council and be largely based around towns.
Councillors were told it was hoped the networks would lead to greater collaboration and help communities become “the engine rooms of local action”.
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The meeting heard while the networks would be independent of the council, the council’s most senior managers would each be assigned networks to ensure strategic connections between the economic and social needs of local communities are made back into the council and with partners.
Officers stressed the networks were not about creating a new governance structure for the areas and they were not intended to undermine the legitimacy of the role of elected representatives on parish and town councils.
Too focused on towns
But several councillors branded them “undemocratic” and raised concerns over them becoming focused on towns rather than their rural hinterlands.
Craven District Council leader Cllr Richard Foster said:
The meeting heard the networks had previously been set up across the county under different names by district and borough councils and some had proved effective in dealing with local matters.
However, Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons said giving the networks some funding was essential as they would otherwise end up as talking shops. He said:
Catterick councillor Kevin Foster added:
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