‘Democratic deficit’: Councillor slams ‘disgraceful’ delays in creation of Scarborough Town Council

It came as North Yorkshire Council voted against a motion which called for no further delays “in creating a town council for Harrogate, by continuing to link this process to the evolving process in Scarborough”.

Scarborough and Harrogate have the only unparished areas in North Yorkshire and town councils have been proposed for both areas.

Speaking at the full meeting of North Yorkshire Council (Feb 21), Coun Liz Colling said: “It is disgraceful, the democratic deficit in Scarborough and Harrogate.

“We should have had town councils and town council elections this year.

“This council talks about double devolution, we haven’t even got the first layer in place in the towns, whole initiatives are coming forward about Scarborough town and we have no voice here,” she added.

Last year, a third public consultation regarding the town council’s creation was approved, delaying its inception until at least 2025.

Coun Colling said: “Apparently, I can’t have vehicle-activated signage in my ward because I don’t have a parish council that will take on the public liability insurance for it.

“Scarborough, I think is a lost case, because you decided that we have to have 15 single-member wards which frankly is still nonsense, but I do support Harrogate in this motion.”

North Yorkshire Council voted last year to approve a revised proposal to create 15 single-member wards in Scarborough instead of the originally planned five wards with three representatives in each.

Speaking earlier in the meeting, Coun John Ritchie, who is also the charter mayor of Scarborough, asked for an update on the timescale for creating Scarborough Town Council.

The leader of the council, Coun Carl Les, told the meeting that plans were progressing and that the third public consultation was set to go out this spring.

He added that if the council approved the plan, the first town council elections could be held in May 2025.

Last year, Coun Ritchie said that further delays to the introduction of a Scarborough Town Council is “a slap in the face to all those who took the time and effort to respond to the two consultations on the issue”.