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Today saw it announced that progress on the the project has been halted after the Council received legal advice as regards a judicial challenge to the scheme.

Mr Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said the handling of the whole project process by the Conservative-run council had “jeopardised investment in our area.”

Mr Gordon said: "We deserve so much better.

Tom Gordon, left, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election, is firmly blaming Conservative bosses at North Yorkshire Council for the Harrogate Gateway project mess. (Picture Lib Dems)

“The Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council dreamt up the scheme, the Conservative-run Council spend £2 million on consultants for this scheme, the Conservative-run Council ignored residents, businesses, and the Lib Dem Councillors concerns and as a result they have jeopardised this investment in our area.

"The facts are that three times the residents of Harrogate have rejected the current Gateway scheme, we know that 74% of local businesses were opposed to it, and that countless community groups including the Civic Society were opposed too.

"We need a bold and innovative comprehensive integrated transport plan for Harrogate, not the scraps of piece-meal funding pots that don’t join up.

"We deserve proper investment and an MP who will be vocal in fighting for it.

"Despite the staggering sums spent on consultants and consultations, everyone I speak to on the doorstep in our community felt ignored.

"Any future scheme must have the buy-in of local residents, local business and local elected councillors.

"It was clear that this wasn’t the case with this failed scheme and this cannot be allowed to happen again.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems are pointing out that this comes after earlier this year it was uncovered that the Council had spent £2 million on consultants on the Gateway project.

This week has seen Harrogate and Knaresborough's Tory MP Andrew Jones say it’s time to stop spending public money on a “dead scheme” and start talking to the Government about redirecting the funding for other projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Lib Dem candidate for Harrogate says 'we deserve better' than fiasco over £11.2m Gateway project