THE TRUE cost of a contentious trip by Tameside Council’s leader days after a five per cent increase in council tax was voted through has been revealed.
Cllr Eleanor Wills attracted criticism when she was pictured at the south of France resort of Cannes attending the MIPIM – Le Marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier – conference.
The authority’s strategic growth director, Nicola Elsworth, also attended what is billed as ‘the global urban festival.’
Now a Freedom of Information request by The Correspondent has revealed the exact cost of sending who were thought to have been the first time Tameside representatives to be part of a Greater Manchester delegation, along with six other councils.
In total, it was just over £4,500.
Responding to The Correspondent’s query, Tameside Council said: “The authority, through its subscription to Marketing Manchester, obtained delegate places at both MIPIM and UKREIFF.
“TMBC sent two delegates to MIPIM, the strategic growth director and executive leader. The places were not sponsored.
“The travel costs in total were £2,355 (standard class and cheapest available) and the accommodation costs were £2,147 (cheapest available).
“Attendance at these events is in support of the council’s growth strategy to bring inward investment to the borough.”
MIPIM is essentially a marketplace at which towns and councils can push the opportunities they have for firms.
Nicola Elsworth, speaking at an event, said: “Having the private sector on board is really helpful in making sure the proposals we’re seeking to bring forward from a delivery prospective are market-facing.
“At Ashton Moss, we’ve the capacity to deliver up to 130,000 square metres of advanced manufacturing and materials space.
“For us, bringing that site forward and the ability for us to bring quality jobs and quality employment as a real key driver to what we can achieve locally in Ashton is really important to us.
“With St Petersfield and the wider town centre, we’re looking at that as one opportunity where we want to bring forward about 2,500 new homes and there will be an element of commercial floorspace.
“We have Ashton Old Baths. Ashton Old Baths has been a real success for us – it’s a business incubation space, where we’ve really fostered digital and creative start-up companies.
“That building is now 100 per cent occupied and we’re looking for grow-on space.
“It is about growth for us but it’s also about inclusive growth. We’ve a number of strongly performing colleges in Tameside – making sure local young people can take advantage of the opportunities that are presented is really important to us.”
Despite the opportunity to push Tameside to the biggest developers on the planet, many members of the public, who face handing over more money in council tax, took a dim view of the journey.
But Cllr Wills insisted it provided an opportunity to make Tameside Council’s vision for the area a reality.
She told The Correspondent: “The council is dedicated to accelerating and prioritising growth in Tameside.
“We recognise our huge potential for economic development, creating jobs, and fostering enterprise across the borough and we are seizing our opportunities to leverage Tameside’s unique strengths and unlock its potential for a more prosperous future.
“MIPIM brings together the world’s largest real estate and investment players, providing Tameside with an opportunity to connect with potential investors and developers.
“Attending the event enables the promotion of Tameside’s investment-ready propositions such as St Petersfield and Ashton town centre in the Ashton Mayoral Development Zone, and the regeneration projects in Hyde and Stalybridge West.
“In order to attract the partners, we need to make our vision a reality.
“We will therefore put in the investment into events like MIPIM and UKREiiF with support from MIDAS, Marketing Manchester, Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority to ensure that we can reach the right audience and gain the attention of the collaborators who can support our plans returning on our investment in them.
“Attracting private investment to complement the £100 million public funding already in progress is essential to support the vision behind the plans.”