Kirklees Council’s economic development chief has defended the spending of an extra £10 million on the re-development of the George Hotel in Huddersfield.
The council’s Cabinet agreed the extra cash injection taking the total investment to £30 million.
At the same meeting there was anger from councillors in North Kirklees as the Cabinet approved plans to shut down Dewsbury Sports Centre – which could be saved by £10 million in repairs.
Dewsbury councillors were furious over the loss of Dewsbury Sports Centre while Birstall Tory councillor Joshua Sheard slammed the closure of Nab Lane recycling centre in Birstall, a vital public facility which needed £7 million to bring it up to date.
Clr Sheard urged the council to re-consider and “invest in things that matter to the people of North Kirklees.”
He added: “Is the George Hotel really more important than Dewsbury Sports Centre, Nab Lane tip or Batley Baths? We need a balanced approach.”
Dewsbury East independent councillor Paul Moore accused the Labour Cabinet of “ignoring the health and well-being” of people in North Kirklees and instead investing in bricks and mortar to create a “shiny new hotel in Huddersfield.”
Responding to the criticism, Clr Graham Turner (above), Cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said the £30 million borrowed to re-develop the George Hotel would be repaid – with interest on the loan – over 30 years. The building would continue to be owned by the council and remain an asset.
“Should we let a grade II* listed building fall to the ground?” he asked. “It will generate jobs and bring huge economic benefits across that part of town.
“I hear from businesses and the university over how embarrassed they are when a client from abroad comes over and they put them in a hotel in Halifax or Leeds.
“It will be a building we can rightly be proud of and it will not be a drain on the public purse. It will put us back on the map.”
Two years ago the council allocated £20.2 million to restore the hotel and a deal has been signed with international hotel operator Radisson for it to become a Radisson RED boutique hotel.
Since then construction costs have risen and unforeseen works – including the removal of asbestos and under-pinning of the façade in John William Street – meant £30 million was now needed.
The current planning permission was for 91 bedrooms but to make the new scheme add up there will have to be a re-design and a new planning application to create 108 rooms.
The council had previously said the hotel would open in December 2025 but the new date is summer 2027.
Clr Turner scotched rumours that Radisson RED had pulled out and said: “Nothing could be further from the truth. We are in contact with them and they fully understand the problems with historic buildings.”
Dewsbury Sports Centre closed in September 2023 when potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was found inside.
The council said it would cost £10 million to repair and would need £1 million in subsidies every year to keep it open.
The Cabinet voted to permanently close the sports centre and demolish the swimming pool side, probably turning it into a car park.
The ‘dry side’ of the sports centre is not owned by the council and the council will need to buy itself out of what remains on a 125-year lease.
There was a clear North-South divide in the council chamber at Huddersfield Town Hall and Clr Sheard said: “£30 million for a hotel in Huddersfield raises serious questions about our priorities.
“It benefits only a small proportion while ignoring the needs of the many. It’s not about Huddersfield v Birstall or North Kirklees, it’s about fairness.
“We cannot let the priority of the few outweigh the majority across Kirklees.”