CRUNCH talks have been held about the future of Welcome to Yorkshire today - with options still 'on the table'.

The tourism board had reportedly asked for a further £1.4million of public money to support its work, and had warned that it would have to consider closure without it. The board held an Extraordinary Board Meeting this afternoon, Thursday, June 25, to discuss WTY’s future "following the serious challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic".

The Board discussed offers of financial support from local authorities across the region but says it needed further talks with councils before a definitive option could be pursued.

As lockdown eases and the hospitality industry is due to begin reopening in July, WTY aims to put tourism at the heart of the region’s economic recovery.

Chair of WTY, Peter Box said: “There’s more work to do before we can agree a way ahead. We will continue to talk to council leaders about financial support and the options that flow from that.

"The response we’ve had from leaders over the past few weeks has been encouraging and we were able to have a constructive discussion at this afternoon’s Extraordinary Board Meeting. We will have further talks before we plot a way forward.

“I’m grateful for the support we’ve already had from council leaders, and others, across Yorkshire. If we are going to deliver a successful economic and social recovery from the pandemic, tourism will have to play a crucial role in that.

“Without a thriving tourism industry, there won’t be the kind of recovery we all want to see in Yorkshire.”

In response to today’s meeting being held in private, Welcome to Yorkshire can confirm their commitment to transparency and to continue to hold Board meetings in public.

The meetings on the 22nd January and 21st February were open to the public. The meeting on 23rd March would have been held in public but was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The decision to hold today’s extraordinary meeting in private was based on the nature of matters discussed such as the options for the future of Welcome to Yorkshire. We did not feel this was something that could be held in public as we have a duty to inform the staff, paying members and other partners first.