A Conservative councillor has accused Liberal Democrats of running a “deliberately misleading” campaign to reallocate money from Harrogate Spring Water to the town.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is part of French-owned Danone, pays a 0.5% levy on profits each year to Tory-run North Yorkshire Council. The sum was £176,806 in the financial year ending March 2024.

The levy was previously paid to Harrogate Borough Council until it was abolished in 2023, and Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats say it should now go to the newly created Harrogate Town Council, which it has political control of.

They say funding could be used to pay for projects or reduce the council tax precept.

Cllr Mark Crane, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, rejected the idea in April on the grounds that “all monies received by North Yorkshire Council are spent across North Yorkshire and we are not ringfencing any of them”.

But the issue flared up again at the second full meeting of Harrogate Town Council last night (June 11), when Lib Dem Cllr Andrew Timothy proposed a motion calling on North Yorkshire Council “to pass the contract with Harrogate Spring Water regarding the name of Harrogate to Harrogate Town Council, allowing the proceeds to be used for the benefit of those resident in the chartered town of Harrogate”.