Readers' Letter: The Civic Centre is not for sale

I rarely write to the paper but I feel when particularly outrageous statements are made it is occasionally right to do so.

A leaflet circulating in Harrogate and in Knaresborough from the Liberal Democrats calls for the proceeds from the sale of Harrogate’s Civic Centre to be used for local projects.

But the Civic Centre is not for sale.

Since the council moved from five old buildings to one environmentally efficient modern building almost £1m a year has been saved and pumped back into local services.

When we move to new council arrangements in 2023 the Civic Centre will continue to deliver services in the Harrogate district even if the council isn’t based in Harrogate.

So the building is not for sale.

But if the Civic Centre was a waste of money, as the Liberal Democrats claim in the same leaflet, surely there would not be any proceeds from any sale to give back to local people.

The building cannot be a massive waste of money and also be sold for a profit.

Even more bizarrely, if you live in Knaresborough the Liberal Democrats promise in their leaflets that the proceeds of this fictional sale should go to Knaresborough projects; if you live in Harrogate they say the proceeds should go to Harrogate projects.

I guess they will be saying the same thing in Boroughbridge and in Pateley Bridge and in Masham; in fact across the whole of the Harrogate district.

When politicians tell you they are going to sell a building which isn’t for sale for a huge profit which they simultaneously claim is worthless and then promise to spend that money near you – wherever you live and no matter what you want – it is pretty easy to judge how valid that promise is.

Coun Richard Cooper

Leader of Harrogate Borough Council