At the Harrogate Borough Council, full council meeting on the 4 October 2017, a motion was passed to put £10K towards the independent traders in the district.
The motion passed said:
This Council supports the district’s independent traders and recognises that they play a key role in making our borough distinctive.
We will look at working more closely with independent traders to help them better promote their sector and will seek representatives from the sector who can help us take this work forward.
In particular this council will give in-kind support, professional advice and one-off funding of up to £10,000 from the District Improvement Fund to develop a website and brochure promoting our indies.
The motion was proposed Cllr Graham Swift Seconded by Cllr Tim Myatt
However this initiative is confusing as there is already a destination management organisation – Visit Harrogate already represents the Harrogate Dsitrict..
Visit Harrogate are the natural recipients of this funding. The motion also jumps to what the council considers a solution to a undefined problem with a brochure and website. While funding to support local businesses should be welcomed, this does look a little ill-judged in its execution.
