Bradford Live and Bradford Council announce that a process is underway to appoint a new operator for Bradford Live, the newly renovated, world class entertainment centre on the site of the former Bradford Odeon.
This follows a decision by the NEC Group that the venue will be better served by an alternative operator. Following a strategic review of its business, the NEC Group will focus on its existing operations in the Birmingham area. Bradford Council and the NEC Group have agreed settlement terms to release NEC from the contract that was in place for them to operate the venue. NEC will step away from Bradford Live with immediate effect.
After months of silence over when the £50m music venue will open, a joint statement from the NEC Group and Bradford Council said a settlement had been reached that would allow the operator to step away from the project it had signed up to in 2017. The size of the settlement has not been disclosed.
One local politician said “The NEC has let Bradford down.”
Concerns had been raised about the future of the venue when the first two acts – a Bob Marley tribute and an Abba tribute, were cancelled. Since then there had been virtual silence on the future of the venue from both Bradford Council and the NEC, despite work to the building being completed.
Bradford Live and the Council will now move at pace to identify a new operator and ensure the restored landmark venue will take its place as a major entertainment hub that Bradford can be proud of.
The Council and NEC have been unable to provide any significant detail on the situation relating to Bradford Live until now, whilst negotiations were taking place. Further updates, and a new date for opening, will be provided when a new operator is confirmed.
Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council said: “Bradford Live is a major part of our ongoing investment in revitalising the city for the benefit of the whole district. It is a magnificent venue, something which the NEC recognise. But after being a founding partner with Bradford Live years ago, their business plans have changed. We respect their position and wish them well.
“It’s been very frustrating that we have had to remain so tight-lipped but at all times we have followed expert legal advice to protect the interests of the venue and the Council.
“Advice from the sector leads us to believe that there are a number of potential operators who have shown initial interest in the venue. We are now in a position to have further discussions with them about the opportunity. We can’t say more about this at this stage given the commercially sensitive nature of discussions.
“We are aiming to have the venue operational in 2025 to host events as part of Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture.“
Lee Craven, Founding Director of Bradford Live said: “Bringing this much-loved building back to life has been a huge task spanning years and involving many tough challenges. Throughout, we have had the steadfast support of Bradford Council, who have never wavered in their commitment. The result is a world class music venue whose quality exceeds even our own hopes. We look forward to securing a new operator soon who can do justice to the building’s potential and make Bradford Live a ‘must play’ venue for major touring acts.”
Brendan Stubbs, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Bradford Council, said: “NEC and the Labour leadership have already wasted months on this. We need to see a clear plan from the Council that gets the venue up and running with a new operator in the coming days. It will take months to get the venue ready to open, and we cannot let Bradford Live remain closed during the City of Culture year.
“NEC has let Bradford down; the Labour leadership has let costs get out of control on this project. The whole saga needs an Auditors’ Inquiry into why the Council is so bad at managing these big projects. Labour is cutting services to people across the district to pay for their ineptitude. They must stop hiding behind a wall of silence.”
A statement from Bradford Civic Society said: “Today’s announcement brings some long-overdue clarity from those parties involved, and hopefully means that a new operator for Bradford Live can be found quickly. It feels like a cloud has been lifted from over the city.”
