Harrogate Lib Dem claims Tories are using delaying tactics to avoid creation of a new town council

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 later 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.

Chris Aldred, Liberal Democrat councillor for High Harrogate and Kingsley, 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 Michael Harrison, Conservative councillor for Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate, who also sits on the council’s decision-making executive.

Earlier this year, Coun Harrison was unanimously chosen by Harrogate councillors as its first charter mayor.

However, Coun 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 Coun Harrision 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.”

In response, Coun Harrison told the LDRS that local politics and the mayoralty are “strictly seperate”.

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.”

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

Coun 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.

"Coun 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.”