‘Stop wasting money on cruise terminal’ urges Lib Dem

OPPOSITION councillors have called for a halt on spending on a riverside berth for HMS Illustrious, saying the project “might never happen.”

Lib Dem councillor Claire Thomas said officials told her £540,000 had gone into the project so far.

She believes Hull Council should stop spending until the Government makes a decision about the warship’s future.

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It comes after The Yorkshire Post revealed that the terminal - which could also be used by cruise ships and is aimed at boosting the number of tourists visiting Hull in its City of Culture year and beyond - could cost nearly £17m.

Council leader Steve Brady has approved spending £380,000 on the initial planning stages as the first part of a four-stage process which could cost the taxpayer £1.7m, excluding around £15m construction costs.

The council is bidding for the warship to be berthed in the city in 2017 and 2018. It insisted the total cost of the project, including establishing a northern branch of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, so far was £460,000.

Coun Thomas said it was sounding “less and less likely” that HMS Illustrious was coming to Hull, adding: “So far from the information I’ve seen I can’t see a strong case for why you would be spending this amount of money on something which may or may not happen.”

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However the council defended the cost saying the projects “all focus on making Hull a world class visitor destination and creating a lasting legacy from Hull’s tenure as City of Culture. “

It said the benefits would far outweigh the cost and should attract significant private sector investment.