Tom Gordon MP Calls for Community-Led Housing and Services in Harrogate and Knaresborough

Following the Government’s announcement of a new planning framework, which allows developers to bypass elected local councillors and requires councils to review green belt land, Tom Gordon has called on Labour to stop ignoring the needs of communities like Harrogate and Knaresborough. 

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, the main issue is that the rapid construction of new housing estates has outpaced the development of vital local services such as GP practices, schools, roads, and dentists. This imbalance has left existing services overstretched and struggling to meet the demands of the growing population. 

Tom recently spoke with a local primary school headteacher who expressed concerns about the strain caused by nearby housing developments. The increase in pupil numbers is overwhelming the school’s resources, leaving it struggling to cope. Tom sees it is unacceptable that housing developments continue to spring up in our area, attracting families, without proper investment in schools and other essential services. This neglect will disadvantage our young people, forcing them to attend overstretched schools. 

Tom also emphasised the need for more affordable and social housing in Harrogate and Knaresborough. He frequently hears from constituents unable to access social housing due to lengthy waiting lists. 

Commenting, Tom said: 

‘The new homes we need in Harrogate and Knaresborough must be genuinely affordable and community led, not dictated from Whitehall, with local services like GPs, schools and public transport built alongside new homes.

‘It cannot be the case that new housing estates continue to go up, as they so regularly do in Harrogate and Knaresborough, and the surrounding areas, without anyone thinking about investing in our local services. Our roads, schools, doctor’s surgeries, and dentists are already overstretched and will simply not cope if this rate of housing development continues. 

‘While I recognise that there is absolutely a housing crisis in the UK, the solution is not to be building more expensive housing in areas already struggling with demand. Instead, we need a concerted effort to build affordable and social housing in areas with capacity, alongside robust plans for public services.’ 

ENDS