Local Euro MP in support for Harrogate Unitary bid

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Jun 2007

Local Euro MP Diana Wallis, who has recently opened her North Yorkshire office in Harrogate, has given her support for Harrogate's Unitary bid.

The Liberal Democrat MEP said:

"I have been asked to support the new proposal for Harrogate Borough Council to become a Unitary District Council which I am very happy to do. I think it makes a lot of sense for Harrogate to be a unitary council.

Diana Wallis went on to say:

"I also support the calls for a referendum of the people of the borough. It would seem a sensible tool in gaining the democratic will of the people. When I was a councillor on the East Riding Council in the early 1990s the people of Goole were asked in a referendum whether they wanted to join the East Riding or go for one of the other options. It worked well for the people of Goole and I can't understand why the Government is shying away from this obvious device. After all, the government proposed a referendum when the two-tier local government system was to be abolished just a few years ago."

Notes.

The request for Diana Wallis's support has come from Hon. Alderman George Crowther OBE, former Mayor of Harrogate (1999-2000) with the initial support of Age Concern, Harrogate Chamber of Trade & Commerce, Harrogate Civic Society and Knaresborough Civic Society.

She supported the online bid at: support@harrogateunitarycouncil.info