Call for answers over Bradford Live opening

Opposition groups want to know why there is a lack of transparency about the project's completion

Opposition councillors are demanding answers about the delayed plans for a £50m live entertainment venue in Bradford.

The 3,800-seat venue in the old Odeon Cinema building on Godwin Street and was due to open in November, but the only announced events have been cancelled.

One opposition group on Bradford Council has criticised a lack of transparency and said it wants restrictions on releasing information relating to the venue to be lifted.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, a director at Bradford Live, said: "We will deal with any requests for information that members ask for in accordance with our usual processes."

Although work on the building has been completed, there has been little information released about when it will open.

A Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group spokesperson said it was an "alarming sign" that something was "very seriously amiss".

Councillor Mike Pollard also said his party needed to know if contracts between Bradford Council and the developers, NEC Group, had been revised and if so, why the need for secrecy.

The BBC understands the final cost of the project could reach £50m in the long term and that the council has taken on additional borrowing.

Bradford Live was also due to have its first shows in November, but they were subsequently cancelled and customers were refunded.

Senior jobs advertised for the venue appear not to have been filled six months on from when the vacancies closed.

The project is set to be a 3,800 live music venue, located in the old Odeon Cinema building

Mr Pollard called it "exceptional" that after NEC Group’s Phil Mead pledged a 30-year commitment to Bradford Live, the council was unable to answer questions about its delayed opening in a "timely manner".

He said: "People are right to wonder, 'if all publicity is good publicity, how bad is this?'

"We are now at the stage of Practical Completion so I cannot think of a legitimate reason why local people are being kept in the dark about things such as the reasons behind the cancellation of gigs, no schedule of events, not even an opening date."

Mr Pollard also said he recognised it was necessary to keep contractual details unpublished, but elected members of the council had the right to access certain information in order to scrutinise any key decisions.

He added: "The current radio silence isn’t fair to the taxpayer who has stumped up circa £50m, with Bradford Council being on the hook for £43.75m of that total."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport, said that "the legal processes related to the handover to the NEC Group are currently progressing".

He added: "Bradford Live is an exceptional event space and will serve as a pivotal catalyst for economic growth and investment in Bradford."

"It is a key component of our regeneration of the city centre."

The NEC group has been contacted for a comment.

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