Council urged by the public to "get it right" ahead of next years hosting of the Tall Ships 2023 event, after the council was left previously shouldering a huge financial loss which had to be paid through reserves & borrowing.
Monday 5th December 2022 07:40am
Concerns Hartlepool Borough Council could again be left shouldering huge financial losses when its again hosts the Tall Ships Festival in 2023 is said to be weighing heavy on the minds of many locals, with calls from the public to the council to “get next year's event right”....
Hosting the Tall Ships event back in 2010 reportedly cost Hartlepool Borough Council £3.7 Million Pounds, most of it provided to the council in the form of grant funding.
Additional funding was reported to have been drawn in through sponsorships & other financing, arrangements, however significantly poor planning leading up to the event left Hartlepool Borough Council with an unfunded deficit hosting the Tall Ships event of around £720,000 when the costs were eventually totted up, with the local council then having to plug the deficit incurred through the use of reserves & borrowing to make up the shortfall..
Its now prompting concerns that with Hartlepool set to host the event again in Mid 2023, fears the mistakes of the past could be repeated again are still said to be an ever increasing possibility, only this time with a local council who's finances now teeter on the brink of collapse & with no reserve funding to plug any deficit in hosting the event this time around, as the council battles projected budget deficits of around £9.0 Million Pounds & more cuts to local services said to be on the way....
The event, boasted as the largest free event in the country at the time attracted over 970,000 visitors.....
According to official reports, 970,000 people visited Hartlepool's tall ships event which was held over four days & considered to be the largest free event in England ever hosted at the time...
Hartlepool hosted the previous 2010 Tall Ships Event at the height of a financial recession, its poised again to host it in 2023 similarly at the height of yet another financial recession
However, poor planning with regards to parking & the events park & ride system introduced by the council to manage the huge crowds of people attending led to the local council failing to make a single penny, in fact, the council made an embarrassing loss, with the Hartlepool Borough Council ridiculed over managing to host such a prestigious event & failing to make any money from the event whatsoever..
Hartlepool's then elected Mayor Stuart Drummond boasted the losses hosting the event was "a price worth paying"..... The public seemingly disagreed !
The towns then Mayor Stuart Drummond come under increasing criticism of the councils organisation of the event, claiming it was a “price worth paying” to host such a prestigious sailing event..... The public however were seemingly unconvinced when it come just as Hartlepool was in the grip of a financial recession & the loss of a major Hartlepool employer with some 3000 jobs being lost...
Hartlepool's set to host the tall ships event again for the four day event starting on Thursday 6th July 2023 to Sunday 9th July 2023, & ironically comes at a time where the country is again expected to be well in the grips of yet another economic recession, with the council reportedly “confident” that next years event will be even more of a success than the previous one, with the council supposedly "learning its mistakes" from the previous event.
According to reports Hartlepool Matters has seen, the 2010 Tall Ships Event in total cost £3,701,000.....
Whilst official figures relating to the costs of next years event remain so far undisclosed, according to a source its claimed the vast majority of the funding of the event is being provided through the Tees Valley Combined Authority, with local businesses set to see a significant boost through the town hosting the event that many claim is "much needed" after numerous setbacks to the towns leisure industry due to COVID & the cost of living crisis..
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