Hull’s plan for aircraft carrier attraction baffles top councillor

Councillors in Hull, which is having to make 450 redundancies as part of plans to save £48m over the next two years, have been told evaluating the costs and benefits of bringing HMS Illustrious to Hull have cost the public purse £156,222 so far.

Illustrious, the last of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers still in service, is due to be decommissioned this year and the Ministry of Defence has said she will be preserved for the nation – saving her from the fate of sister ships Invincible and Ark Royal which were sold for scrap to Turkish ship-breakers.

As part of Hull’s City Plan, the intention is to turn Lusty into a visitor attraction and “waterfront icon”, conference centre and education facility.

The costs cover seconding a project manager from within the vice-chancellor’s office at Hull University four days a week as a programme director for £80,000 and hiring an ex-commander of the warship for advice at a cost of as much as £20,000 over a 12-month period.

Another £30,000 was spent on an economic impact assessment drawn up by consultants, while £922 was spent on a bird survey.

The idea was floated by vice-chancellor of Hull University Calie Pistorius in 2012, while considering projects that could stimulate the city’s economy.

Initial research suggested it could attract an additional £4m worth of visitor spending in the city every year, with about 100 new jobs being created by the project.

According to information sent to councillors, “further incremental resource commitments will be necessary before a properly informed decision can be reached”.

It comes a day after the ruling Labour group released its budget warning of “breath-taking cuts” imposed by central Government, which will mean a range of service cuts, including reducing opening hours at the city’s museums and libraries.

Tory group leader Councillor John Fareham said: “Can we get the message right? Are we so broke that we are flogging off perfectly good office buildings and property or do we have to go and buy aircraft carriers and new buildings on High Street, neither of which seem to have worked up proposals behind them.

“We have to go into any game knowing what the exit strategy is and the maximum we are prepared to spend.

“The vice-chancellor of the university has a vision and it is important to work in partnership, but it would be helpful if we articulate that vision and determine where it turns into an illusion, a delusion or a chimera.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Claire Thomas, who asked for the figures, said: “I felt the project should be transparent and open and people should be able to know what their taxpayers’ money is being spent on.

“I was honestly surprised that the figures were as high as they are when we don’t know whether HMS Illustrious is coming to Hull or not.

“Questions about how it will be run, managed and funded still need to be answered.”

Coun Steve Bayes, who holds the council’s regeneration portfolio, is due to attend an industry day in February, before visiting the ship in March.

The 23,000-tonne ship has been deployed to the Philippines with 900 crew and seven helicopters on board to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

He said: “There are a lot of projects with no certainty of success – there was no certainty of success with City of Culture.

“We have to look at ways to raise the city’s profile and get more people into the city, bringing money with them.

“There’s money in the City Plan budget to progress the scheme. There is an upper limit – we haven’t reached it yet.”