Chris Watt is standing as the Labour Party Candidate in the Kingsley Ward for the Harrogate Town Council Elections on 1 May 2025.
Some questions to Chris.
What’s your connection to Harrogate ?
I live in Kingsley ward, where I’m standing for election and have lived in Harrogate for 16 years, getting married and starting my family here. I previously worked at our local hospital and now work for a healthcare charity based in York, commuting on the train from Starbeck station. Harrogate is a great place to live. It’s a really friendly, vibrant town and has a strong sense of community, something that has particularly made an impression on me as Chair of the local Residents’ Association and from the other community groups I’m involved in.
The role of the Harrogate Town Council isn’t fully defined, what would would you like to see a town council do ?
As the most local level of government, the new Town Council should be very locally focused. This means taking action on issues that may be overlooked further up, but affect people’s day to day lives like dog fouling, litter and community facilities, such as play parks.
At the same time, being so locally elected, our Town councillors have an opportunity to influence North Yorkshire Council, the North Yorkshire Mayor, who I know, the MP and even the Government – something I actually do as my day job – on bigger issues like traffic congestion, especially, for example, around Starbeck crossing. The future of the Stray, the town centre, but also local high streets are also key strategic issues for our town.
What do you see as the main challenges for the town council ?
The new Council will need to establish itself as a strong voice for the community that can work constructively with the likes of the North Yorkshire Mayor, and local councillors will need to be able to explain their role, as many people are still unsure about what the new Council will do.
In terms of issues, tackling traffic congestion is a key challenge, especially with the development of the Station Gateway. Ensuring we have key infrastructure to handle the demands of new housing developments is a major concern. And the balance of both protecting the Stray and making the most of it as one of our biggest assets.
What do you see as the main gains for the people of Harrogate ?
This is an election of local people, by local people, who know the issues that affect their area and Harrogate more widely and will be focused on that, rather than party political battles in Northallerton.
This gives our town a proper voice and it will be important that councillors work together across any party lines to make that voice effective. The Mayor of North Yorkshire has told me that he greatly values our Town Council and the fact that councillors will be elected specifically to champion their area gives a great opportunity to work with him for our area.
What else do you believe people should know about you or what you believe ?
I live with my family in Kingsley ward, where I’m standing, and have done for well over a decade now. I’ve been actively involved in the community for all of that time. I’ve represented local people, speaking as a residents’ representative at the old Harrogate Borough Council on behalf of the Kingsley Ward Action Group, successfully persuading councillors to demand improvements to the developments off Kingsley Drive.
I’ve been elected by local people as Chair of the local Residents’ Association. In that role, I’ve been involved in campaigns with the local primary school, Starbeck in Bloom and Zero Carbon Harrogate to encourage drivers to switch off their engines while waiting at Starbeck crossing and even had local road signs fixed. So the sort of very local things that are ideally suited to a Town councillor.
I’m a regular fan at Harrogate Railway and a Trustee at Harrogate Neighbours, as well as being on the Committee of the local Christmas Lights Appeal.
After Covid, I mounted a successful campaign to have Starbeck Baths reopened after the Council left them closed long after all other facilities has opened up again. The Council announced the reopening on the very day that I had scheduled a public question to the Council Cabinet member responsible!
I also play chess competitively, though not very well, for Harrogate Chess Club and am currently teaching my child to play.
Should a town councillor be voted for based on party or personality ?
The role of Town Councillors is very much as local champions for their ward. They need to be someone who can be relied on to work hard and stand up for their area. The Town Council has relatively limited and undefined powers and won’t have party political leadership like the old Borough Council did, so anyone making grand statements about how their party needs to “run” the new Council doesn’t understand how it will work!
Electing a local champion is therefore more important than their party.
That said, the majority of candidates are standing under a party badge and that will inform their views. As a Labour candidate, that means I believe in strong, inclusive, welcoming and sustainable communities, with good local services and amenities. Labour’s Mayor for North Yorkshire, David Skaith, who I know, has given me his backing and as a Labour councillor I’d be best placed to work with him for our area.
