Welcome to Yorkshire vacuum after wind-up will harm tourism firms due to two-month delay before councils meet – The Yorkshire Post says

This is a time when the industry facing uncertainty following this week’s decision to place Welcome to Yorkshire into administration after council leaders pulled the plug on public sector funding after an accumulation of scandals in the three years since Sir Gary Verity’s resignation.

Was it still open? Why Welcome to Yorkshire’s demise means tourism fresh start after troubled agency’s winding up – Susan Briggs

Now the dilemma facing political leaders is whether to purchase the Welcome to Yorkshire brand on the county’s behalf because of its name recognition – they’re understood to be planning an approach to the agency’s administrators – or to make a clean break from past controversies.

Yet, while such matters take time, this is small consolation to those B&Bs and tourism ventures on the front line of an industry worth £9bn a year to Yorkshire. All run by enterprising people, their income depends on the effective promotion of this region and will be perturbed that the county’s leaders do not plan to meet until after May’s elections to discuss future arrangements.

Given this, councils should be putting interim plans in place to promote venues, maximise income from events like the Tour of Britain cycle race and champion those grassroots businesses which intrinsic to the county’s success as a premier tourism destination. For, if they suffer financially, it’s not just the individuals concerned who pay a price. So, too, do town halls with reduced income from rates and other taxes.

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