Why I am glad to see the back of Scarborough Borough Council - GP Taylor

Further afield, SBC have failed to take into consideration the views of the members of the public. They closed the historic North Bay Pool, Mr Marvels funpark, Kinderland and the Indoor Pool. The latter of which was partly financed by the population of Scarborough doing a sponsored walk to Whitby and back. The greatest sin of SBC was to pull down the Futurist Theatre. We were promised a Flamingoland style experience as a replacement and got nothing but a concrete slab.

Many of these places are still waiting to be re-developed and stand as eyesores and reminders of a failed administration. Millions of pounds have been wasted and prime real-estate let go for a song.

Sewage outfall pipes and the destruction of the old Marine Drive are still sore wounds for the people of the town. Now, there is a ludicrous plan to turn the fish pier into a trendy piazza with shops, cafés and a restaurant. The only decent car park on the beach will be removed, thus making it even harder for people to use the local seafront shops, cafés and amusements. Fishermen will be squeezed out as they try to turn the harbour into a Magaluf marina.

The only popular change was the pulling down of the old Argos building outside the market hall and making a much-needed town square. This popular plan now appears to have been scrapped.

Do these politicians not think what effect their half thought out ideas will have on businesses? Yet, as usual, they try to push through their vanity projects against the will of the people.

In Whitby, SBC was regarded as the enemy that sucked the money from the town and wasted it on the latest idea. Many of my friends who live in the town had little time for SBC and the way Whitby never really featured in their forward thinking.

SBC has done nothing for the people it was supposed to serve and I am so glad that it has finally gone.

Worryingly, there are those now redundant politicians who appear to be clamouring to set up a parish council in its place to keep the moribund leviathan alive.

They use the excuse that 69 per cent of those asked said they were in favour of the plans but fail to mention that only 2.5 per cent of locals responded to the questionnaire. That is hardly a majority in favour of having a new council with all its costs and hangers-on.

Even more concerning is that Kerry Russell, head of democratic services at Scarborough Council said that “a very thorough” consultation had already been conducted and the responses were largely in support of creating a parish council in Scarborough. I don’t think that 69 per cent of 2.5 per cent of the public constitutes support. What do the other 97.5 per cent of the population think?

I suggest that the response was so low because people are sick and tired of SBC and the way it has run the town. What politicians must realise is that they are servants of the people and are elected as their representatives.

The parish council – which would be known as Scarborough Town Council – is set to be divided into five wards: Castle, Falsgrave and Stepney, Northstead, Weaponness and Ramshill, and Woodlands. Each ward would have three councillors all at the public expense. To me, this is just a replica of what many people have been wanting rid of for years.

Is there really a need for both Scarborough and Harrogate to have a parish council? Surely, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if NYCC looked after both towns? This would save taxpayers thousands of pounds and stop the council gravy train.

Better still, there are many business and community people who could be co opted to help. Scarborough is kept alive by its business owners who despite hindrance from government do their best to make the town a great destination. They are the people who know what Scarborough really needs and have a practical understanding of how the town works.

The ‘us’ and ‘them’ battle between the council and the people would then be over. Perhaps then, the town could move forward under the guidance of NYCC.

I, like many others, am glad that SBC has gone.

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster who lives in Yorkshire.