Member Article

Harrogate economy boosted by ‘thriving’ tourism

Harrogate’s economic growth has been fuelled by a healthy labour market, improving commercial property sector and thriving tourism industry according to a report by the council.

The ‘Economic Overview of the Harrogate District’ focusses on the period between 1 April 2014 and 30 June 2014 and found:

• Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimant rate reduced from 1.3% to 0.7% - the lowest since records began. It remains the lowest rate of any North Yorkshire district and below the county (1.2%) and regional (3.2%) averages.
• The number of JSA claimants aged between 18-24 years of age has fallen by 73% year on year to the lowest recorded level. There are now 0.6% of 18-24 year olds claiming JSA, which is below the county average (1.8%) and the regional average (5.1%).
• The Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which helps people on low incomes pay their Council Tax bill, has reduced by 5.6% (9,058 (Q1, 2013) / 8,552 (Q1, 2014), while Housing Benefit claims have fallen by 3.2% (7,407 (Q1, 2013) / 7,171 (Q1, 2014).
• 1-to-1 business advisor appointments at the Enterprise Gateway for people seeking advice on starting or growing a business increased by 22%.
• Tourist Information Centre visitors in quarter 1 increased by 50% from 54,356 to 81,610.
• The number of Planning Applications received was 2.7% higher.
• The number of enquiries for commercial sites and premises rose by 23%.
• The number of vacant retail units reduced for the third consecutive quarter to 7.8%.

Councillor Richard Cooper, Leader of Harrogate Borough Council said: “Compared to the same quarter last year, the Harrogate district’s economy continues to grow.

“The continued reduction in unemployment to its lowest recorded level clearly indicates that businesses are recruiting.

“More people are coming to the council asking about commercial properties to move into, and the district’s retail unit vacancy rate has fallen for the third successive quarter.

“Harrogate district weathered the economic storm better than many areas and these figures show that we are emerging from that storm strongly too.

“It is also heartening to see that more and more people are feeling confident enough in the current climate to seek advice at the Enterprise Gateway about starting their own business.

“The thriving visitor and recreational economy, in particular the huge increase in visitors to Tourist Information Centres and a 7 per cent annual increase in visitors to the council’s museums, are clear examples of our area’s growing attraction to visitors and holiday-makers.

“The Harrogate district is a great place to live, a great place to visit and a great place to do business. We all know it and now we can see that the figures bear it out too.”

© Copyright DS Pugh and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .