A COUNCILLOR has questioned why key details over the future of the Bradford Live development are yet to be revealed.

The music venue was due to open this Autumn, but in recent months there has been a wall of silence over the multi million pound development, with the only two planned concerts cancelled.

The NEC group signed a contract to run the venue years ago. Despite work on the former Odeon building having now been completed, there has been little update from Bradford Council or the NEC on when events will begin.

The regeneration scheme has so far cost over £50m.

Now the Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group on Bradford Council plans to ask that the Council remove any restrictions relating to information regarding the planned operation of the venue, arguing they are no longer necessary due to contractual confidentiality needs.

Councillor Mike Pollard, (Baildon) the Group Spokesman for Finance & Projects, said: “It seems unlikely that the details of the contract exchanged between Bradford Live and NEC Group in 2018 need to remain confidential and if certain parts do, they could be redacted. If any historical documentation does need to remain confidential, we need to know why.

“If it has been necessary for initial contracts to be revised over time and this is the reason for a need for confidentiality, then we should at least be told that this is the case.

“A particularly big question is, why, when in a statement published by Bradford Live on May 7, 2018, NEC Group’s Phil Mead included the words, “Our 30 year commitment”, referred to “playing a real part in the detailed design stage” and using their insight into staging live events to “help inform and future proof everything about the project”.

“It is exceptional that six years after these statements were made, a Freedom of Information request needed to be submitted seeking information as to what is going on, let alone that the Council couldn’t answer it in a timely manner.

“That at this late stage the Council, Bradford Live and NEC are not shouting information from the rooftops is being an alarming sign that something is very seriously amiss.

“My Conservative and Queensbury Independent Group colleagues and I, despite being the main opposition group on the Council, have been as much in the dark as the public.

“In my role, I am meeting with the Council’s Director of Finance in the next few days and I will be asking for some answers. I welcome the Freedom of Information request and Open Letter submitted by the T&A to provide transparency for local people.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for regeneration, planning and transport, said: "Bradford Live is an exceptional event space and will serve as a pivotal catalyst for economic growth and investment in Bradford. It is a key component of our regeneration of the city centre. We recognise the considerable excitement and interest surrounding its opening, particularly following the recent completion of the main building works and the subsequent release of images showcasing the stunning interior.

"The legal processes related to the handover to the NEC Group are currently progressing and we will deal with any requests for information that members ask for in accordance with our usual processes."

The NEC group has been contacted for a comment.