Letter: Sooner we are parted the better

Writing as a Knaresborough resident, I cannot wait for the day that the dead hand of Harrogate Borough Council is removed from my town.

Despite being the most beautiful small town in the county with hoards of visitors arriving at all times of year, I would say that Knaresborough is one of the most deprived towns in the UK.

Take a walk around Ripon, Thirsk, Northallerton, Wetherby and compare the variety of shops they have and the general air of prosperity and compare their populations with ours. Our last bank is about to close due to lack of footfall.

When electric buses were introduced, were they used on the most polluted routes? No, they graced the streets of Harrogate.

Take a look at the provision of bus shelters compared with those in Harrogate despite the lack of shops meaning that we have to travel by bus or car for almost everything we need.

Your headlines last week tell us of HBC refusing concessions to market traders which are available in other parts of the county.

Knaresborough is the poor relation of Harrogate, which uses us as a milch cow and the sooner we are parted from it the better.