By Sam Gillinder
The Annual Town Meeting for Horsforth took place at St Margaret’s Parish Centre, where Katie White MP attended as a guest speaker.
This meeting provides a chance for Horsforth Town Council to present to the public the work they have been doing for the area as well as addressing any matters of interest or concern raised by the public. It was held on Thursday, 1 May 2025 at 7pm.
Our recently elected MP Katie White provided a speech mentioning the good work the town council has been doing this year and talked of her experiences within the government and parliament since becoming an MP.
She also answered any queries from the people in attendance.
Among the people in attendance were Councillors Simon Dowling, John Garvanni, Richard Hardcastle and Becky Cousins. PC Russell, from Outer North West Neighbourhood Policing Team, also gave a speech regarding the activities that the local police have been involved with this year.
He also answered questions raised by the people in attendance.
The introduction was made by the Town Council chair Cllr Simon Dowling, then the minutes from the previous year were approved.
Katie White addressed the audience after PC Russell. She has now been 10 months in the job.
She mentioned the great variety of places to eat, restaurants and cafes, that we are spoiled to have in Horsforth. Ms White said that the community in Horsforth is “creative and thoughtful” with the events that are put on here.
The reason she wanted to become an MP was that she wanted to help this area with the initiatives that she can provide. She grew up in this area having come from a family that has lived here for generations.
She feels that she is at the right age to be able to serve the constituency that she has been elected to represent. Outside of the government she worked passionately for the environment and feels she can bring this to the job.
Is social media making the democratic system any better? This is a question she queries.
More details about Horsforth Town Council can be found here.