Starbeck Lib Dem FOCUS

Starbeck Lib Dem FOCUS Keep up to date with local community news in Starbeck from your local Lib Dem team.

03/07/2026

The Vote of No Confidence was passed on 1st July Full Council.
Read more below 👇

Harrogate Town Council has “No Confidence” in North Yorkshire Council’s management of Harrogate.
At yesterday evening’s meeting of Harrogate Town Council, the Liberal Democrat Council declared a
Vote of No Confidence in North Yorkshire Council’s ability to effectively manage, maintain, or
safeguard services and assets within the town of Harrogate. Councillors made it clear that, while
frontline staff are working hard to do the best job possible, the direction, governance, and culture
established by the Conservative leadership of the unitary authority is not fit for purpose.
The Liberal Democrat-run council made it clear that they will not stand for the neglect that North
Yorkshire Council are showing the assets and services of the county. During the debate, many of the
town councillors who were present gave examples of issues which they had faced with North
Yorkshire’s level of service.
Cllr. Paula Stott, chair of the Town Council’s Culture, Heritage, and Events Committee, and a board
member and usher at Harrogate Theatre, spoke about the experience of the theatre, saying: “The
fact that North Yorkshire Council has repeatedly failed to respond to the Theatre’s requests to renew
their lease has made it much more difficult for them to apply for many types of funding.
Organisations like Harrogate Theatre are being let down by North Yorkshire every day.”
The motion made clear that the centralised management model operated from Northallerton is
fundamentally failing the people of Harrogate. The Council resolved not to sit idly by while
Harrogate’s basic facilities crumble due to bureaucratic apathy and a total lack of local accountability,
and agreed to stand up, fiercely champion the community, and fight to restore the dignity of
Harrogate. The motion included several examples of North Yorkshire’s mismanagement, including
failures in planning enforcement and coordination of roadworks, and expressed dismay at the decline
of public facilities such as benches and footpaths on the prized Harrogate Stray.

30/06/2026

Tomorrow, Harrogate Town Council will hold a vote of no confidence in North Yorkshire Council (NYC).

​This is due to NYC’s poor communication, lack of support, and systemic mismanagement further hindered by being routinely ignored by NYC and their various departments.
Harrogate Town Council has also been severely restricted in its ability to take on services, including its statutory legal obligation to manage local allotments.

​Despite these external challenges, Harrogate Town Council and its dedicated councillors, including those representing Starbeck and Kingsley have worked tirelessly to establish the council from the ground up while navigating complex legal requirements and procedures. Additionally, Harrogate Town Council has set up events and partnerships, with ongoing work behind the scenes, as well as bringing back Youth Network between professionals and charities. Your voice is being heard by representation in the Area committee planning hearings and at all meetings that occur.

​Our councillors are also deeply committed to advocacy within their wards:

• ​Deputy Mayor Chrissie Holmes continues to work hard raising vital awareness for diabetes.
• ​Cllr Josie Caven remains a dedicated advocate for the D/deaf community and for Disabled people.

​Harrogate Town Council will continue to grow and evolve. We recognize that the fight is far from over, and we remain fully committed to championing Harrogate’s voice and securing the resources our community deserves.

It is never okay to vandalise a memorial bench. After immediately reporting this, Kingsley Ward Councillor Josie Caven i...
30/06/2026

It is never okay to vandalise a memorial bench. After immediately reporting this, Kingsley Ward Councillor Josie Caven is pleased to report that in a short time it has been cleaned up.

Tom Gordon's Quiz Night take over!We are grateful to Tom for finding space in his diary to take over as Quiz Master for ...
14/06/2026

Tom Gordon's Quiz Night take over!

We are grateful to Tom for finding space in his diary to take over as Quiz Master for the Quiz Night on Friday 26th June.

If you have any knowledge of cheese, Europe, Yorkshire or politics, you could be in luck as these are just some of the rounds planned for the evening. If not, there is still time to swot up!

All welcome with tickets available from the following link at ÂŁ13pp including chilli or veggie chilli supper. Bring you own drinks -
https://events.libdems.org.uk/.../josy-and-ian-s-quiz-night/

The Valley Gardens paddling pool has reopened to the public this weekend after extensive surveys ensured that it ready t...
14/06/2026

The Valley Gardens paddling pool has reopened to the public this weekend after extensive surveys ensured that it ready to be enjoyed this summer by Harrogate residents.

The pool did not open as early as hoped to allow checks to be carried out after issues were identified during maintenance.

However, the pool is now open (as verified by your FOCUS team today!) after being fully repainted, as well as a survey of the drainage system having been carried out.

Last weekend (6th June) Lib Dem Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor Of Harrogate Chrissie Holmes joined the Starbeck Commun...
13/06/2026

Last weekend (6th June) Lib Dem Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor Of Harrogate Chrissie Holmes joined the Starbeck Community BIG HELP which was organised by Starbeck In Bloom (S.I.B.). Supported by other local groups and volunteers from the Starbeck community the team spent the day weeding, washing benches and litter picking.

Chrissie was focused on litter picking as well as keeping an eye on Health and Safety for the event. There was a total of 7 routes litter picked, an impressive achievement which will help keep the area clean and tidy.

Additional back up was provided by Simon and Alison from St Andrew's Church and the local St. John Ambulance crew, who fortunately were not called on.

Thank you to everyone involved !!

Starbeck Swimming Pool Asset Of Community Value Success!Lib Dem Councillor Chrissie Holmes was instrumental in the succe...
09/06/2026

Starbeck Swimming Pool Asset Of Community Value Success!

Lib Dem Councillor Chrissie Holmes was instrumental in the successful recent application to register Starbeck Swimming Pool as an Asset Of Community Value.

The application was made by Harrogate Town Council to North Yorkshire Council and provides certain conditions in the event of an asset being offered for sale.

If a listed asset is later put up for sale, the listing can give the community time to prepare a bid, although it does not require the owner to sell to the community or guaranteed that a community bid will be accepted.

Speaking about the successful application, Chrissie said 'Starbeck Baths are a much-loved and well-used community facility, supporting both physical and mental wellbeing while preserving an important part of our local heritage. This application reflects the strength of feeling locally and the importance of ensuring the community has a voice in its future'.

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