£50,000 payout to secure Spice Girls gig is defended
City leaders in Sunderland have defended a £50,000 payout to help secure the upcoming Spire Girls gig at the Stadium of Light.
And later this week councillors could agree to stump up an extra £500,000 to help boost the city’s “events programme” further.
But although at the same time families are facing a hike in their council tax bills worth almost 4%, council chiefs have insisted the potential return make the investment worth it.
“We’ve got a good base,” said Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council.
“We’ve got the air show, we’ve shown with the Tall Ships we can do world-class events and we’ve got concerts coming back to the Stadium of Light.
“But we may have to spend more.
“Half a million to do that properly and see the benefit the city could get economically, to me, makes sense.”
According to Jon Ritchie, the council’s executive director of corporate services, the Spice Girls concert, scheduled for June, could be worth up to £4m to the city.
And it is hoped that instead of being a one-off, a good night could help bring more big acts to the stadium – as well as other major events to the city.
City leaders have added they are keen for any success to be replicated in Washington and the Coalfield area.
The Spice Girls are set to be the first concert at the Stadium of Light since 2016.
A run between 2009-16 saw the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Oasis and Beyonce visit Wearside.