Troubled tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire goes into administration

The troubled tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire has gone into administration after the county's councils refused to continue funding it.

The decision comes after a private meeting of Yorkshire's Leaders' Board – made up of council bosses and the county's metro mayors – about the findings of a £25,000 review.

Welcome to Yorkshire chairman Peter Box said it had been an "incredibly difficult" three years for board members and staff who had "endeavoured to deal with well-publicised legacy issues".He added: "These matters, coupled with the impact of Covid and the task of securing sufficient funding from the public and private sectors to place WtY on a sound financial footing, have made the situation increasingly challenging." 

Established as the successor to the Yorkshire Tourist Board, Welcome to Yorkshire is a private company but receives millions in public funding.

It was originally led by Sir Gary Verity, who received his knighthood for bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014.

But he left the organisation on health grounds in 2019, following concerns about expenses spending and the treatment of staff.

A review was then launched into its governance.

The organisation had been without a chief executive after Sir Gary's successor James Mason left the role last year.

In a statement issued after their meeting, the Leaders' Board said members had agreed "unanimously" to stop funding Welcome to Yorkshire with public money. A new marketing organisation will be established in its place.

Co-Chair of the board, Cllr Stephen Houghton, who is leader of Barnsley Council, said: "Every district, borough and county in Yorkshire benefits from tourism. The industry, and the communities that rely on it, deserve our support, in particular as we continue to recover from the effects of a global pandemic over the last two years.

"Welcome to Yorkshire has played a pivotal role over the last decade, enabling us to bring high profile sporting events and investment to the region, and showcasing our talent and diverse offer.

"But a lot has changed and, following consideration of the views of our public and private sector stakeholders on the current arrangements, we have unanimously agreed that a new approach is needed."