BRADFORD Council has said it needs more time to consider whether to tell the public how much public money it has spent on "legal process" for Bradford Live.

Council and Bradford Live representatives repeatedly said "the legal processes relating to handover to the NEC Group are progressing" - before it emerged last week that the NEC Group had pulled out of the £50.5 million scheme.

Last month, the Telegraph & Argus asked the Council's press office how much public money the authority had already spent in total in relation to the "legal processes", and how much more cash it expected to spend on them in the future.

The questions were not answered at that stage - so the T&A submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request, believing that taxpayers have a right to know how much more of their money has been spent in relation to Bradford Live.

The Council has now contacted the T&A stating it has considered the request and "identified that the information requested may need to be withheld" under Section 43(2) of the FOI Act.

According to the Information Commissioner's Office, Section 43(2) is a "prejudice-based exemption which says that information is exempt if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any legal person (including the public authority holding it)".

The Council told the T&A: "As a result of the above and in accordance with Section 10(3) of the act, the Council is extending the statutory deadline date by which we must respond to this request until October 18, 2024, in order for us to give further consideration in relation to disclosing this information."

The T&A also submitted a request under the FOI Act asking the Council to "provide all written correspondence everyone associated with Bradford Council has made and received in relation to Bradford Live" between a specific timeframe.

As reported last week, the Council responded saying it needed to "give consideration to the public interest arguments" before deciding whether to disclose this information. The T&A expects to hear back from the Council on this by October 16.

A new operator is now being sought for Bradford Live.

The former Odeon cinema had been due to open as a "world-class entertainment centre" this autumn.

Last week, a Council spokesperson said: "Further updates, and a new date for opening, will be provided when a new operator is confirmed."