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29
Jun 2020
County council 'stands by' under-threat Welcome to Yorkshire
North Yorkshire County Council has said it will stand by under-threat Welcome to Yorkshire after the organisation revealed it requires £1.4 million to survive amid the coronavirus crisis.
A year since the troubled tourism body was marred by scandal, WTY wrote to council bosses across Yorkshire last week requesting financial support to stay afloat - of which around £450,000 is needed from authorities in North Yorkshire.
The tourism organisation was deprived of £1 million in business rates after councils in North and West Yorkshire saw a loss of income due to the pandemic. A further £400,000 shortfall was created when WTY suspended its membership fees.
Both North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire councils agreed in October 2019 to give WTY £1 million of public money to continue operating after it was suggested it would be more "cost effective" than closing the organisation down. Now, the body finds itself asking for more taxpayer money to survive.
A meeting of the tourism body’s board was held in private last week to discuss the financial gap, despite current chairman, Peter Box, promising to hold meetings in public when he was appointed last year.
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It comes after WTY was hit by controversy when former boss, Sir Gary Verity, resigned in March 2019 on health grounds but faced allegations of bullying and inappropriately claiming expenses.
Two inquiries carried out after Sir Gary’s resignation cost the tourism body £482,500, and former boss, Paul Scriven, told the House of Lords it had a “culture of toxicity” and misused public funds.
Investigators looked at expenses worth around £900,000, of which £26,000 were of a personal nature. Sir Gary has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Now, WTY has found itself in a financial hole amid the pandemic and has turned to local councils to bail it out.
Two authorities, Ryedale and Hambleton, have already said they will not pay their share to support the organisation.
Both the county council and Harrogate Borough Council confirmed they had received the letter from WTY and would continue to work to determine what financial support could be offered.
Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of the county council and executive member for finance, said:
In a statement following its meeting last week, Mr Box said the body required further discussions with local authorities over financial support.
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