Harrogate Chamber : A Few Words From Our President
Harrogate’s strength lies not simply in its heritage or commercial vitality, but in the shared commitment of businesses, civic leaders and residents to sustain its identity while planning thoughtfully for the future.
Over the last few weeks, the Chief Executive and I have taken part in a number of policy discussions, civic events and investment planning forums in which we have represented the love and care that you, our members, have for Harrogate as both a place and a community.
Shortly after the last management team meeting, Martin and I attended the NYC Harrogate & Knaresborough Area Committee at the Civic Centre to speak about what our members and the wider business community might want to see from the Harrogate Investment Plan.
In February, we hosted a special meeting for overnight venues across the district to meet Mayor David Skaith and raise questions and concerns about his proposed £2 per person per night visitor levy. 35 businesses were in attendance at the event which was held in partnership with Harrogate BID, Ripon BID and Nidderdale Business Association.
We also hosted an extra meeting at the request of Tom Gordon MP to allow him to hear from business owners in the area. This was kindly sponsored by Ian Howard and Libertas Professional. Feedback from chamber members was generally positive about this meeting. It was felt that he listened, and we noted that he has raised the relevant issues in the Houses of Parliament.
Town signage, often overlooked, plays an important role in defining identity and enhancing visitor experience. Clear, well-designed signage contributes to wayfinding, accessibility and visual coherence. Having been mentioning the lack of ‘Welcome to Harrogate’ signs for a number of years, we have been invited to be part of the working party regarding signage for Harrogate – we have met 4 times now, and the project has now expanded from just the 8 x Welcome to Harrogate signs (funding / design / location now almost agreed with NY Highways) to include the signage throughout the town to replace the various different designs to one standard design. Much of this will be funded by the Combined Authority, but designed by Harrogate Town Council and delivered by NYC. These improvements will support local businesses and assist visitors.
Martin and I have also visited Northallerton to meet with Richard Flinton and Carl Les to discuss the issues our members are experiencing as a result of NYC policy. As a result, we met with the NYC parking head via Karl Battersby, and we have been invited to participate in several other panels, giving us the opportunity to represent our members views at the highest level.
I attended the Mumbler 2025 awards, where I had the honour to present one of the awards and have also attended the launch of the Your Harrogate Local Heroes awards, with the Chamber having agreed to sponsor the programme for this event which will attract around 500 attendees to celebrate the local heroes in the Harrogate area. https://www.yourharrogate.co.uk/local-hero-awards-2026/
All of our meetings reinforce the principle that leadership remains rooted in service to the community. Advocacy for infrastructure investment, transport connectivity and funding support reflects an understanding that towns must actively articulate their needs. The Chamber continues to work to ensure that the town remains visible within wider policy discussions. This advocacy is motivated not by abstract ambition but by a practical desire to sustain economic vitality and quality of life. Collaboration between public authorities, private enterprise and civic organisations ensures that planning remains grounded in local priorities.
At a Chamber level, we hosted what I think is possibly one of our most successful Business Safaris to date at Cedar Court, with a lot of great feedback received about this particular meeting. Our January NYC ‘State of the Nation’ meeting at Rudding Park, was similarly well received and I felt that real progress was made during January and into February in creating and strengthening partnerships that will allow the Chamber to increase our reach and provide even more value to our members by raising the issues that they care about at the highest level.
Membership of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your business in the Harrogate district. For more information, email me at president@harrogatechamber.co.uk or visit our website https://www.harrogatechamber.co.uk/join-the-chamber
