Council to discuss its contract with Make It York

Under the plans, the council will ask Make It York to continue to promote the city's 'brand' for the next three years and continue with its 'exciting and innovative' work, such as the Bloom! Festival.

Councillors at the decision session meeting on July 23 will also discuss plans to cut funding to the company by £100,000, following an earlier reduction last year of £100,000, and encourage Make It York to identify potential areas where funding could be cut in the future.

Cllr Keith Aspden, executive member for economic development and community engagement, said: “It is very important that we continue to work together with a range of organisations for York. Make it York under the new Service Level Agreement will continue to play a vital role in driving forward Visit York, the city centre, events and festivals, business support and science and innovation. In particular, with the York Economic Strategy, the new agreement will harness partners’ expertise to ensure we make the best use of resources across the city for the benefit of everyone who lives and works here.”

Cllr Nigel Ayre, executive member for leisure, culture and tourism, said: “Since its creation, Make it York has worked with partners to raise the profile of York regionally, nationally and internationally. This has include many cultural events and festivals for residents, such as the Great Yorkshire Fringe and York Mediale. The new Service Level Agreement will further strengthen the organisation’s objectives and purpose for the next four years.”

Cllr Ian Gillies, leader of City of York Council, said: “Agreeing Make it York’s new priorities will enable them to continue delivering their exciting and innovative work across the city. This includes the recently successful ‘Bloom!’, running York’s Visitor Information Centre, which was recently judged to be the best in the UK by Visit England and helping to secure over £1 million of investment funding for York businesses.”