Open letter to Bradford Council, Bradford Live and NEC Group

Members of the public - who have helped to fund the £50.5 million Bradford Live scheme - deserve to know now what is happening with its future.

Inside Bradford Live (Image: Bradford Council/BradfordLive)

For a number of months, the T&A has been relentlessly asking questions on behalf of the public about the long-awaited project to transform the city's old Odeon cinema into what has been described as a "world-class entertainment facility".

We - and many of our readers - do not feel those involved in the scheme have been transparent enough overall so far.

The questions started nearly half a year ago, March, when tickets for the first two shows announced for Bradford Live - an Abba tribute act and a Bob Marley tribute show - were removed from sale.

For several months, Birmingham-based NEC Group - which was unveiled as operator of Bradford Live back in 2017 - has not publicly commented on its involvement with the huge regeneration project despite our repeated questions.

In May, we asked Bradford Council to confirm how much taxpayers' money had gone towards the Bradford Live scheme and we also asked for confirmation of the total cost of the project.

These important questions should have been answered by the Council at that time - but they weren't, so we resorted to using the Freedom of Information Act.

This process was protracted because last month the Council said it needed more time to "reach a decision on where the balance of the public interest lies".

Earlier this month, the Council finally revealed the overall cost of the Bradford Live scheme had climbed to £50.5m.

Of this, £43.75m is from the Council - made up of grants and loan cash - and the remainder is from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

But several key queries still remain.

We are now publicly calling on Bradford Council, Bradford Live and the NEC Group to answer these fundamental questions within the next week:

1. When is Bradford Live expected to open?

2. When will acts and events be announced for Bradford Live, and when will people be able to buy tickets for them?

3. Does the NEC Group still envisage itself operating Bradford Live? If not, why not?

4. Should the NEC Group not envisage itself operating Bradford Live, what is plan B? Who will operate Bradford Live? Is the Council considering operating Bradford Live?

5. When does the Council expect all the money it has loaned to the Bradford Live project will be repaid in full?

6. When is Bradford Live expected to return a profit?

7. How many jobs will be created by Bradford Live and when will these roles be advertised?

If answers to these questions are not provided, further concerns will only be expressed about the future of this major project.

The last statement issued by Bradford Council about the situation was nearly three weeks ago.

It said: "Bradford Council and Bradford Live are pleased to announce that construction work at the new Bradford Live venue has reached 'practical completion'.

"This means all the major building work at the former Odeon cinema in the city centre has been finished and it is ready for the final fit out.

"After being empty for around 20 years, the art deco building, which originally opened in 1930, has been beautifully restored and transformed into a world-class, 3,800-capacity music and entertainment venue.

"The legal processes relating to handover to the NEC Group will now be progressed."

We all want Bradford Live to be a success.

We all want to see amazing acts and events coming to the heart of the city, putting smiles on the faces of locals and visitors alike.

Many people have marvelled at the restoration of the iconic building after seeing the recent pictures released by Bradford Live.

But it is now time for Bradford Council, Bradford Live and the NEC Group to do the right thing and finally provide answers to the questions on countless people's lips.