Cannes trip cost nearly £4k
A RECENT trip to Cannes by Cheshire East’s leader and a senior officer to promote the borough as ‘a great place to live, work and do business’, cost nearly £4,000.
Councillor Rachel Bailey (Con) and the officer attended the Mipim conference, billed as the world’s leading investment and property festival, last month.
The council says the aim is to draw in new investment, jobs and growth opportunities.
But Labour group leader Sam Corcoran says residents have yet to see how the borough benefited from last year’s event – which cost the council £2,997.81 to attend.
He said: “This is a very expensive conference held in Cannes and we’ve not seen any evidence that this has resulted in any clear, tangible benefit for Cheshire East.”
He added the council should be addressing the problem of speculative development and ensuring it has a robust five year housing land supply and a decent Local Plan.
Hotel and travel costs for this year’s event were £1,881.28 - of that £755.54 was for Coun Bailey’s trip and £1,115.74 was for the council officer’s trip, who stayed longer to attend extra meetings.
Events passes were £1,000 each, bringing the total cost to £3,881.28.
The officer’s bill was paid for by the Constellation Partnership – but as Cheshire East contributes to the partnership, essentially the full tab was picked up by the council tax payer.
A Cheshire East spokesman said: “The council is fully committed to promoting Cheshire East as a great place to live, work, visit and do business. We are proud of our area and keen to shout about it and draw in new investment, jobs and growth opportunities. Mipim property conferences offer a valuable opportunity to meet international stakeholders, who are potential investors in Cheshire East for the benefit of our infrastructure and local economy. Being represented at Mipim Cannes is a valuable opportunity to initiate discussions with new investors and continue to develop relationships with existing ones.
“Having a strong and resilient economy is one of the council’s key priorities and, as such, any opportunity to attract inward investment and jobs to our region is welcomed.”
He added: “Cheshire East Council attended this year’s Mipim as part of a delegation led by the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, alongside Cheshire West and Chester Council and Warrington Borough Council. In its second year at the conference, the LEP hosted a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme showcasing the area’s outstanding economy, including the opportunities provided by the Cheshire Science Corridor and HS2 investment in Crewe.
“Cheshire East Council is also a key member of the Constellation Partnership, one of seven local authorities and two LEPs who have a clear and common goal in driving and delivering growth opportunities for the benefit of communities of the sub-region and beyond, including our partners in Wales and the Midlands Engine.
“This year looks set to be a significant one for both Cheshire East and for the Constellation Partnership. The arrival of HS2 will bring significant growth opportunities to the region and the impacts of the proposed HS2 hub station at Crewe will be felt far beyond and across traditional administrative boundaries.”