Opponents attack would-be Mayor’s plan to buy resort’s flagship Grand Hotel

OPPONENTS of the Conservative candidate for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire have criticised his pledge to buy the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

Keane Duncan, the Conservative candidate for the mayoral election on May 2, promised to buy the Grand Hotel in Scarborough “using new mayoral powers and funding to wrestle the hotel from Britannia’s hands”. It is not clear whether Britannia would be willing to sell and no one was available to comment.

Mr Duncan said: “I admit this is a radical plan, but tackling the problem of the Grand is absolutely essential for Scarborough’s future fortunes.”

His opponents have been critical of the plan.

The Liberal Democrats’ candidate

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who runs the Swinton Estate hotel, said: “As a hotelier myself I can’t see any sense in this.

“Keane Duncan has just blown his annual budget on free car parking, and now he’s going to run a hotel?”

David Skaith, Labour’s candidate, said: “When this most recent pledge is added to the list of other unfunded commitments the Conservative candidate looks set to blow the authority’s budget in the first year.”

The Green Party’s Kevin Foster added: “This isn’t a serious plan, it’s yet another of Keane Duncan’s unrealistic, un-costed Tory gimmicks.

“Yorkshire residents tell me they hate politicians making promises which they haven’t got a hope of delivering.”

Mr Duncan was asked to respond.

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will receive £750m funding from central government over 30 years.

Whoever is elected mayor will have new powers over housing, skills and transport.

The electorate will choose from six candidates, including two independents Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam.