Let’s take a closer look
COUNCIL LEADER CALLS FOR SCRUTINY OF AIRPORT BAILOUT CASH
A council leader has requested an extra £20m to be pumped into Teesside Airport gets a closer look.
Losses of £11.7m at the publiclyowned site were unveiled in 2021/22 accounts. Airport bosses pointed to covid impacts and infrastructure investment as key reasons for the multi-million pound hole.
Council leaders and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen agreed a £20m top up for the airport as part of a 10 year investment plan backed at Friday’s Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) cabinet. However it was not before Redcar and Cleveland Council chief Mary Lanigan wanted more scrutiny of the cash going in.
The independent leader believed scrutiny at the combined authority “worked the wrong way round” compared with councils telling the cabinet how decisions in Redcar would go to their scrutiny board before being ratified.
Cllr Lanigan added: “In principle, I will vote for the investment plan having spoken to my managing director.
“However, I want this called in by scrutiny as I want them to have a look at that - and I want them to come back to cabinet if they have any adverse or positive comments.
“Redcar and Cleveland Council don’t want anything to happen to Teesside Airport - or anything with your investments in Hartlepool or Middlesbrough - that’s not what this is about.
“The Tees Valley needs to flourish. However, with things like this it’s got to be absolutely open and above board so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.”
Mr Houchen told the meeting the combined authority was set up in a way where decisions were scrutinised after they were made.
Hartlepool councillor Shane Moore believed Cllr Lanigan had made some fair comments - and backed the move to send the wider investment plan to the scrutiny committee.
Mr Houchen added: “It’s a huge decision, there’s lots of money being signed off. Putting the airport to one side, there’s £40m for the Shared Prosperity Fund which needs to be signed.
“These are big decisions and we all welcome more transparency and scrutiny - we welcome the decision to throw that into scrutiny, and the team there will do their thing.”
The refreshed spending plan included efforts to create a solar energy farm at the airport - and replacement EU cash through the “Shared Prosperity Fund”.
It was eventually agreed the 10-year investment plan would be approved and then sent to the overview and scrutiny committee to offer its thoughts. The investment plan and the £20m pumped into the airport would then be sent back to the TVCA cabinet.