Bradford Live 'to be used' during City of Culture

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said it has been "frustrating for people" waiting to hear the fate of Bradford Live

The Bradford Live music venue will "operate" as part of the City of Culture celebrations despite uncertainty over its future.

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the building would be "used" during Bradford 2025 in her first interview with the BBC since it was announced that NEC Group had pulled out of a contract to run the venue.

The authority said it was now looking for a new operator to take over and that the process had begun "at pace".

Hinchcliffe said she understood that a lack of transparency around the situation had been "frustrating" for people.

The venue has finished "practical completion"

The renovation of the building itself, a former Odeon cinema, has been completed and she said it would be ready for visitors at the start of the City of Culture year.

She said: "NEC were under contract to operate this venue and obviously settlement and negotiations have to go on confidentially during that time.

"It will be used during 2025, absolutely, and people will be able to come and enjoy it."

'Good investment'

Ms Hinchcliffe defended NEC Group's right to "change its direction" and "review its strategy".

The company was originally confirmed as the operator in 2018, when a preliminary contract was signed.

When asked if there had been any breach of the agreement with the council, Hinchliffe said: "We've got to keep everything confidential with the NEC and at all times we have followed legal advice to make sure we protect the venue and its future."

Costs for the venue's restoration have run to more than £50m - almost £44m is council funded - which is more than double the initial estimate.

"We know it's a good investment for the future, for our ambitions of growth, to make sure people have jobs and to regenerate the whole of Bradford," Hinchcliffe said.

"This is really significant for us and it will be successful in the future."

She added that the renovation work was "finished" and that the site was "ready".

The joint statement from NEC Group and Bradford Council read: "Following a strategic review of its business, the NEC Group will focus on its existing operations in the Birmingham area."

The group would "step away from Bradford Live with immediate effect" after a settlement with the council was agreed to release it from its contract, they added.

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