The event which in 2010 left the Hartlepool Taxpayer shouldering a significant loss hosting the event, reports say the Tees Valley Combined Authority will now be the ones who bear the financial responsibility time around & NOT Hartlepool Council.
Sat, 14th Jan 2023 07:22am
Locals in Hartlepool can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that it wont be the Hartlepool Public this year who will be left footing the bill whenthe town hosts the prestigious Tall Ships Event set to begin in June 2023.
In 2010, Hartlepool previously hosted the event for the very first time, with the three day event bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors to the seaside town. However in the days following the event, Hartlepool Borough Council was left counting the cost of the event when it was discovered that despite the huge numbers of visitors to the town, the council made a huge financial LOSS on the event, a bill which was ultimately left for the local tax payer to absorb.
Former Councillors Christopher Ackers Belcher raised concerns back in 2020, that the vast majority of money generated on the event never stayed within Hartlepool
In a report commissioned back in 2020, when Hartlpeool reportedly first submitted its expression of interest to host the Tall Ships event for 2023, the then Labour councillor Christopher Ackers Belcher raised concerns that much of the financial boost to the local economy never stayed in Hartlepool, with much of the money generated from the event going straight down the A1 according to the Hartlepool Councillor who was also at the time a serving elected councillor when Hartlepool previously hosted the event back in 2010.
No prizes for guessing who was the councils Chief Finance Officer & still is, who back in 2010 overseen an event which made a huge financial loss for the local Tax Payer
Whilst the event was hailed a “success” by the local council back in 2010 in terms of the boost it gave to the areas tourism & leisure sector, Hartlepool Borough Council was left counting the cost of a £750,000 financial black hole hosting the event which was later found to have been caused by poor planning of the events park & ride system, with the councils Chief Finance Officer Chris Little in order to prevent a backlash from the public over the councils failures to adequately manage the event in terms of its profitability left Hartlepool Council having to use its financial reserves to shoulder the cost, promising local residents that the overall cost of the event would not be shouldered by residents in their Council Tax bills.
The Combined Authority will now be the ones paying for Hartlepool to host the 2023 event, as its clear HBC no longer has the funds to host such an event like it did back in 2010
However, as the time grows near for Hartlepool to again host the event for 2023, many locals fear a repeat of 2010, only now the local council seemingly doesn’t have the finances available to shoulder any unforeseen costs that could pop out & surprise the authority this time around, with many locals wanting to know just who this year is funding the Tall Ships event for 2023, the council, or someone else ?
According to a report published in 2020, its claimed that Hartlepool’s successful bid on the tall ships event led to the Tees Valley Combined Authority granting assurances to the local council that it would pick up the bill for the event set to be hosted in just a few months time, with the TVCA said to be funding the project outright, leading to Hartlepool Borough Council not having to put its hand into its pocket this time around.
Previously, the local council had funded the 2010 project through borrowing, grants & sponsorship deals, however this still led to the local council being left funding a significant shortfall when the cost of the event was totted up.
Councillors seem to be cautiously optimistic that the lessons of the past event back in 2010 have now been learned & that this years event will be seemingly different in terms of the council sucessfully managing the event.
Hartlepool Council is banking onthe event bringing millions into the local economy, however many say its a "big gamble"
The very fact that the TVCA will more than likely be funding the event in its entirety takes the pressure of the local council in terms of the fears that this years event could potentially be a repeat of the previous one in terms of it being a loss making endeavour, however some still say that whilst the financial burden is off the councils shoulders, its still the tax payer at the end of the day who inevitably foots the bill if the financial workings of the event goes horribly wrong, with Hartlepool likely never to see the event ever set foot in the seaside town again should this years event prove to be just as a financial failure as the previous one was some thirteen years ago.
Some businesses are fearfull of whether they will still be trading in June, let alone whether or not the event will give them a much needed financial cash boost....
Business owners in the area fear that not even the Tall Ships event coming in June 2023 will stop them from going under, as the gamble to stay afloat to many is "not worth the risk" some say.
The cost of living crisis, covid & the lack of financial support being directed towards local busineses has also left many business owners in the town thinking that this years event could be very different than the previous one in terms of the impact the event had on the areas leisure & tourism industry, in the sense that whilst many local businesses are dreaming of a significant cash boost being drawn in by the sheer numbers of visitors to the 2023 Tall Ships Event, some fear they many not be even trading in April, let alone June 2023, as the ultimate gamble for some businesses is now riding on whether to wait & see if the event manages to jump start the towns ailing leisure sector.
Or simply call it a day over fears the event wont even come close to addressing the towns failing local economy with some businesses saying its simply not worth the risk to wait it out to gain what could be a little reward.
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