A SENIOR York councillor says any successor to Welcome to Yorkshire must have a 'fair-share' funding formula and work alongside Visit York.

Cllr Darryl Smalley, executive member for culture, leisure and communities, was speaking after it was announced that Welcome to Yorkshire, the destination management organisation, was going into administration.

He said that following an independent review, council leaders from across the region had decided that, in its current format, it was not the right vehicle to support tourism across the region.

"The difficulties that the organisation has faced over the last few years are well known, and it’s right that we now collectively review what the best model for supporting tourism across the region could look like," he said.

“The financial challenges facing councils across Yorkshire and the country must be recognised in this work to ensure that every penny spent on destination marketing regionally delivers value for residents."

He added:“It’s important that any new model has a fair-share funding formula and has transparency at its core. A new organisation must actively work alongside Visit York, and working with regional partners we will be able to best support York’s tourism industry and the jobs and livelihoods which depend on it.”