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29
Jul 2023
Government says council's £20m bid for Harrogate Convention Centre lacked 'evidence and rationale'
Harrogate Borough Council's bid for £20 million of government money to upgrade the town's convention centre lacked evidence and rationale and may have over-stated the economic benefits.
Government feedback on the bid, released following a freedom of information request by the Stray Ferret, revealed several areas of concerns with the bid.
This is despite the fact the council, which was abolished at the end of March, paid consultants £45,000 as part of its submission to ministers.
More than 100 projects were awarded a share of £2.1 billion from round two of the Levelling Up Fund in January.
But the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, led by Michael Gove, rejected Harrogate's application.
The decision was a significant blow to the council's plans for a £49 million upgrade of the ageing centre and cast further doubt on the facility’s future.
The feedback described the bid as "relatively strong" and listed stakeholder engagement and deliverability as strengths. But the economic case was widely criticised.
The feedback said:
The rejection was a blow to plans for a £49m upgrade to Harrogate Convention Centre.
It went on to say although the bid "evidenced the need to revitalise the visitor economy", it "could have been strengthened by drawing on a broader range of socioeconomic indicators to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of the problems that the intervention had been designed to address".
It added:.
Benefits 'may have been overstated'
The feedback also said the council's economic case was not based on government guidance. Citing one example of this, it said:
In a section on deliverability, the council was praised for its "strong, coherent bid with a high level of detail and explanation throughout".
Read more:
- Consultants paid £45,000 for failed Harrogate Convention Centre bid
- Government rejects £20m levelling up bid for Harrogate Convention Centre
- Warning that Harrogate would ‘wither on the vine’ without convention centre
The feedback also recognised the bid's "strong levels of engagement with most of the relevant stakeholders".
North Yorkshire Council, which succeeded Harrogate Borough Council on April 1, provided the feedback following our freedom of information request.
Richard Cooper, the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council at the time of the bid, has said he will not comment on any council issues relating to his time in charge of the local authority.
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