City’s airport promotion branded ‘half-baked’

Members of York Council’s 
cabinet agreed last week to 
spend an initial £85,000 on marketing at the airport as part of efforts to raise the city’s profile to international markets, increase trade links and increase visitor numbers.

However, the Liberal Democrats’ group leader Keith Aspden, the Green Party’s group leader Andy D’Agorne and his colleague, Coun Dave Taylor, have raised
concerns. They believe it should not be a priority at a time of squeezed budgets and it will be considered at the Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee on Monday.

Coun Aspden said: “The priority at the moment should be to deliver the services that matter most to residents in York, not to fritter money away on half-baked schemes like this.”

While, Coun Taylor, added yesterday: “This is an expensive and unfocused campaign which will not represent value-for-money for our residents.”

If the scheme is deemed successful in its first year, the authority would then seek support from partner organisations for future years.

The leader of the council, Coun James Alexander, had earlier said: “As part of the York Economic Strategy 2011-15, the city agreed ambitious economic growth targets of becoming a top five UK city and top 10 European city by 2015.

“To achieve this we need to be operating on an international platform, building on existing links and tapping into new and emerging markets. Making use of this opportunity with Leeds Bradford Airport, as a major regional hub, to reach these markets makes commercial sense.

“This campaign would put York in front of passengers on over 450 flights per week, to a market of 2.7 million passengers a year, from a total of 75 destinations, including cities in over 25 international countries.”