Yorkshire Forward: Making a meal of it, or doing their bit for the economy?
TENS of thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money is being spent on hotels, restaurants and foreign travel by an unelected government agency.
But bosses at Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency heavily involved with regeneration in the Wakefield district, has insisted it is money well spent.
Sixty-two executives at the agency, funded by the government and European Union to attract investment to the region, spent more than 170,000 on their executive credit cards in an 18-month period.
Credit card statements obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show hotel stays in Brussels, South Africa, America, China and Japan.
Restaurant bills of up to 500 were charged to the credit cards, held by Yorkshire Forward bosses including chairman Terry Hodgkinson and chief executive Tom Riordan.
Thousands of pounds were spent on flowers and hampers for business bosses who visited the region, along with hundreds of payments for coffee at Starbucks
Trevor Shaw, Yorkshire Forward's director of finance, said it was the 'leanest' of the UK's nine regional development agencies.
He said: "Some 92p in every pound we spend is being invested into regional development.
"While we remain absolutely committed to delivering value for money, we have to be realistic about the fact that creating jobs, supporting business growth and developing communities incurs an element of unavoidable cost in travelling to meetings, overnight accommodation and events."
Restaurants included Leeds' Brasserie Blanc, owned by world-famous chef Raymond Blanc, where a bottle of Bordeaux Les Forts De Latour wine costs 190 and calf's liver with roast vegetables is on the menu priced 16.
Hotel stays included the Taj Mahal in Mumbai, India, and the Royal Park Shiodome Tower in Tokyo, Japan.
Mr Shaw said it was inevitable the agency incurred a degree of hospitality expense in its work.
He said: "However, we aim to keep these costs as low as possible and much of this cost is incurred as a result of directly engaging with businesses and organisations in the region."
Yorkshire Forward said it held business-focused dinners to raise awareness of Yorkshire Humber abroad and provide networking opportunities in the UK.
International visits, which included European Commission meetings and presentations to attract foreign investors, resulted in a record 125 foreign investments in 2008/9, bringing 661m to the region.
Yorkshire Forward grants are being used by Wakefield Council to improve town centres under it's Five Towns Regeneration plan. The agency also provided funding to redevelop the city's Bull Ring with a new fountain and public square.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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