World Cup bridge opening 'wasted' money

The Keel Crossing is due to open in the autumn but was resurfaced for use on a single day

The spending £28,500 on a temporary surface for a footbridge so it could be used for one day only has been criticised by opposition councillors.

The Keel Crossing in Sunderland is yet to be completed but temporary measures were put in place so it could be used on the first day of the Women's Rugby World Cup in August.

Labour council leader Michael Mordey said the cost of the surface was a "tiny fraction of the enormous value" that hosting the World Cup had brought to the city.

But Sunderland Conservatives accused the ruling group of failing to plan and fully complete the bridge in time for the event and subsequently "wasting" the money.

Thousands used the £31m Keel Crossing on 22 August when England met the USA at the Stadium of Light.

Despite there being no confirmation of an opening date Mordey has said "work will be completed on time and on budget".

The new footbridge connects the city centre and the Stadium of Light

Conservative finance spokesman Lyall Reed said: "If the council had managed to get the bridge constructed in time for the Rugby World Cup then this money would not have been wasted like this.

"Taxpayers' money was spent on putting down a temporary bridge surface and then ripping it back up after just a single day of use.

"That £28,500 could have been used to fund a local park ranger for a year, instead Labour spent it on putting down a bridge surface that barely lasted longer the Rugby game itself, all to hide their lack of planning."

Mordey said the council and the Labour group knew the fan experience would be "absolutely transformed" by the temporary opening of the crossing and accused Reed of "making ill-informed comments designed only to score cheap political points".

"Anyone who was in and around the area on the day of the World Cup opener would agree that having Keel Crossing open created a truly brilliant and memorable fan experience for the thousands of people visiting the city," Mordey said.

"Yes, making it happen cost money but the investment made on the temporary surface is a tiny fraction of the enormous value of this event to the city - over £20m.

"I don't regret making that small investment for the huge benefit it brought to Sunderland and for the memories it created."

The Keel Crossing is one of several high-profile developments under construction as part of the Riverside Sunderland scheme, including Culture House and the new eye hospital.

It closed at the end of the day on 22 August so the final phase of cosmetic works could take place.