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    06

    Mar 2024

    Last Updated: 06/03/2024

    Council declines to reveal consultants' fees on Harrogate Convention Centre

    by John Plummer

    | 06 Mar, 2024
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    harrogate-convention-centre-main-auditorium-1-2
    The 2,000-seat auditorium

    North Yorkshire Council has refused to reveal how much it is paying London consultants to suggest alternative uses for Harrogate Convention Centre.

    The council revealed this week it is likely to shelve plans for a £57 million refurbishment of the ageing events and exhibitions venue and look for cheaper short-term fixes.

    It has also appointed consultants 31ten to explore future options on what the site could be used for and how it is run, including possibly selling it.

    In February last year, Harrogate Borough Council awarded Hertfordshire company BAM Construction Limited a £3.3 million contract to provide it with technical designs for the major refurbishment that is now unlikely to proceed.

    Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished in April last year, also spent £45,000 of taxpayers' money on its failed £20 million bid for levelling up funding to part-fund the upgrade.

    Harrogate Convention Centre

    Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to tell councils to cut funding on consultants in today's Budget, according to national media reports.

    We asked Conservative-run North Yorkshire Council how much it was paying 31ten, how long the contract is for and how the rate was calculated.

    Gary Fielding, the council’s corporate director of resources, said in a statement:



    “We are committed to ensuring that our resources are being used in the most effective manner to support North Yorkshire residents.
    “Given the range of services that we provide and the diverse projects that we are involved in, sometimes we do need to draw on specialist consultants if we don’t have the relevant experience or skills from our own staff.
    “We are using 31ten as they have the ability to engage with the specialist market in a way that we simply don’t.
    “However, we have a rigorous appointment process in place and spend minimal amounts on consultants.”


    According to its website, 31ten is an "independent and agile consultancy that works with like-minded organisations seeking to create growth and make a difference in their local area".

    The Stray Ferret has submitted a freedom of information request to the council requesting details of the contract and the sum awarded.



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