Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Tom Gordon, has slammed the Conservative bosses at North Yorkshire Council over the latest in the Station Gateway scheme fiasco.
It has been announced the scheme has been pulled after the Council received legal advice with regards to a judicial challenge to the scheme.
This comes after earlier this year it was uncovered that the Council had spent £2 million on consultants on the Gateway project.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the money that was due to be invested into this scheme to be ring fenced for future projects in Harrogate, that have the support of local residents and businesses.
Commenting Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Harrogate & Knaresborough, said:
The Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council dreamt up the scheme, the Conservative-run Council spend £2 million on consultants for this scheme, the Conservative-run Council ignored residents, businesses, and the Lib Dem Councillors concerns and as a result they have jeopardised this investment in our area. We deserve so much better.
The facts are that three times the residents of Harrogate have rejected the current Gateway scheme, we know that 74% of local businesses were opposed to it, and that countless community groups including the Civic Society were opposed too.
We need a bold and innovative comprehensive integrated transport plan for Harrogate, not the scraps of piece-meal funding pots that don’t join up. We deserve proper investment and an MP who will be vocal in fighting for it.
Despite the staggering sums spent on consultants and consultations, everyone I speak to on the doorstep in our community felt ignored.
Any future scheme must have the buy-in of local residents, local business and local elected councillors. It was clear that this wasn’t the case with this failed scheme and this cannot be allowed to happen again.
Council rescind the decision to proceed with Gateway Project following Legal challenge
