Anger and frustration boil over as councillors clash over the uncertain future of Harborough's Showground

The councillor who discovered the controversial plans which could put the town's 'jewel in the crown' in jeopardy is furious that he has been 'blocked' from going to a crucial meeting
Busy scenes at the County Show in 2018, held at the Showground. Photo by Andrew Carpenter.Busy scenes at the County Show in 2018, held at the Showground. Photo by Andrew Carpenter.
Busy scenes at the County Show in 2018, held at the Showground. Photo by Andrew Carpenter.

Two rival councillors have clashed furiously in a bad-tempered showdown over the future of the high-profile “goldmine” Showground on the edge of Market Harborough.

Cllr Phil Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrat opposition on Harborough council, blew the lid off serious fears surrounding the 75-acre site on Gallow Field Road at the end of last October.

But the outraged veteran councillor is now furious after being “blocked” by council leader Phil King from attending a crunch virtual meeting on Friday (January 29) to help thrash out the Showground’s future.

Cllr King is insisting that Cllr Knowles has no automatic right to take part in the crisis talks – and “is making a mountain out of a molehill”.

Cllr Knowles, who broke the major story in the Harborough Mail, declared: “I am shocked but this is not unexpected.

“Phil King has got history for stopping me attending critical meetings in the past.

“But this whole sorry episode beggars belief.

“I can’t believe that I’m being stopped from participating in a meeting of such huge significance affecting the whole of Harborough district.”

The campaigning Great Bowden councillor added: “I smoked this massive issue about the Showground out in the first place.

“If it wasn’t for me and my digging this entire problem around what is the biggest jewel in our crown in Harborough would have gone under the radar and stayed there.

“And if it wasn’t for me there wouldn’t be a meeting on Friday at all because no one, including Phil King, would be any the wiser about just what we are dealing with here.”

The issue has come to light after William Davis Homes and Hallam Land Management, which jointly own the prime chunk of land, admitted they were holding “confidential” talks with operators Leicestershire Agricultural Society about the site’s future.

Cllr Knowles said he had believed the events location – which boasts access to 15 acres of additional car parking – “would be deeded to Harborough council in perpetuity”.

“In 2018 my colleague Cllr Sarah Hill was advised by the district council’s legal department that it was believed that a 10-year lease had been agreed between the landowner and the agricultural society.

“But that now does certainly not appear to be the case.

“A five-year agreement the society thought was on the table was never signed,” he revealed.

“And if I hadn’t shone the spotlight on the council’s real position with the Showground then we may easily have lost it.

“I said straight away that we had to set up a meeting with all the parties involved to get to the bottom of this.

“This isn’t a political matter – it’s an enormous matter for the whole of Harborough that needs tackling now.

“I’m extremely sad that I’ve been blocked from attending Friday’s meeting – it’s exceptionally frustrating.

“Some people might conclude that Phil King is playing party politics here,” said Cllr Knowles.

“My view is simple.

“Any one of us who has anything positive to contribute to this critical get-together should be invited to take part.

“This goes way beyond if you are Conservative, Liberal Democrat or what ever.

“It is essential we set up a long-term agreement to tie down the Showground’s future for the good of the entire district for at least the next 10 years.

“It will be tragic if we lost the Showground.

“It’s a priceless asset to both Market Harborough as well as the rest of our district,” said Cllr Knowles.

“We cannot afford to lose it – full stop.

“The Showground will be right at the heart of our mission as a council to bounce back next year from this devastating Covid-19 pandemic.”

Cllr King told the Mail: “I’m grateful to Phil Knowles for raising this and bringing it to our attention.

“When he got wind of this meeting about the Showground he told me he wanted to attend it.

“I told him he couldn’t – I set this meeting up.

“I don’t know myself what the full details of this are yet.

“We’ve got to be careful about issues such as commercial confidentiality here.”

The Conservative council chief said he would give his Liberal Democrat counterpart a full briefing afterwards.

“He’s trying to make a song and dance about it, throwing a hissy fit and making a mountain out of a molehill.

“But Phil Knowles isn’t a ward member and he leads a minority group on the council,” said Cllr King.

“I’ll be there with the agricultural society, the landowners and key members of our staff.

“I understand Phil Knowles’s concerns about the Showground.

“And I want the same thing that he does – to secure its long-term future for the benefit of Harborough’s economy in the years ahead.

“So I am keen to get a much clearer understanding of where we all stand on this on Friday.”

A spokesperson for the landowners said at the time: ‘We can confirm that we - the landowners - are currently in negotiations with the Leicestershire Agricultural Society regarding this.

“However, the nature of these discussions is confidential and regretfully no further information is available at this time.”