Concern over reports that North Yorkshire Council has spent £2m on consultants for the Station Gateway scheme - Yorkshire Post Letters

I am writing to express concern regarding the recent reports that North Yorkshire Council has already spent £2m on consultants for the Station Gateway scheme.

For such a significant portion of the budget to be spent on consultants, without any tangible progress to show for it, is deeply troubling.

This raises serious questions about whether the public are receiving value for money from North Yorkshire Council for this scheme.

Given that such a significant portion of the budget has already been spent, it raises questions about whether this scheme can actually still be delivered properly.

The Government has yet to get a grip on the current eye-watering levels of inflation, it seems ludicrous to progress with a plan when a revised cost for the project has not been produced. This further brings into question the viability of this scheme in its current form. To just cut back the scheme is short changing residents.

As residents we have the right to be informed about what is happening in our town and to know how our money is being spent. Local residents have told me they feel in the dark about the current and projected costs of the project. Only to be told that aspects of the project can be removed or scaled back to deliver the scheme in budget. This lack of honesty about what is actually deliverable and the lack of meaningful engagement undermines public trust and confidence in the Station Gateway project.

There is a very real concern that we have a project that almost certainly cannot be delivered. A project that will have to be scaled back or revised. A project which will not deliver what people wanted and any perceived benefits will be diluted.

This will only increase cynicism about the conduct of North Yorkshire Council. This comes at a time when many residents and businesses have joined forces to demand transparency and involvement in the Station Gateway project. They feel they have been frozen out.

The Councillors on the local Area Committee only gave conditional support to the scheme on the basis that North Yorkshire Council prioritised actual and meaningful community engagement, something that seems to have failed to materialise.

I want Harrogate Town Centre to thrive and be a place accessible to all. This substantial pot of money could have been used to deliver innovative options for active travel making Harrogate more accessible to all.

It is disappointing that North Yorkshire Council does not have a clear plan for an integrated transport network for Harrogate District. One that links the existing routes and that meets the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

It appears the Station Gateway has been presented as a take it or leave it option.

Harrogate Town needs investment. Our roads are crumbling and our active travel routes are fragmented. Our Conservative MP has failed to make the case for investment by way of the Towns Fund or Levelling Up Fund from central Government. When we finally do see investment, a lack of vision and planning by Conservative colleagues at North Yorkshire Council sees opportunity and investment squandered.

We deserve so much better than this.