Bristol Beacon: More spent on venue than transport in city

More money has been spent by a council on a music venue undergoing major refurbishment than on all of the city's transport schemes combined.

Bristol City Council's accounts show £69million has been allocated so far to the Bristol Beacon refurbishment.

Costs are expected to rise even further to £93million next year due to an unpaid commitment of £23.3million to contractor Willmott Dixon.

The council says £47.4million has come from various grant funding sources.

Works planned for the 1860s building centre on a new larger stage, new balconies, seating and acoustics as well as better access for larger touring productions.

The council owns the building, formerly known as the Colston Hall and run by the Bristol Music Trust charity.

The £69million spent so far includes £30.3million in 2021/22 to add to the previous running total of £39million.

The amount put into the project dwarfed every other "major area of investment" apart from the council's own housing stock, according to the accounts, and has led to accusations the organisation has got its priorities "seriously wrong", reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Earlier this summer, external auditors criticised the authority after the building's renovation costs more than doubled to £107million.

The latest year's draft statement of accounts, which cover transactions from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, give a list of the biggest areas of spend, with housing topping the list at £39.4million, including £21million building new homes.

A total of £30.3million on Bristol Beacon was second, ahead of £24.9million invested in transport schemes as the third highest.

At a recent audit committee meeting, Conservative councillor for Stockwood, Jonathan Hucker said: "I don't think the council has got its priorities right. In fact it has got them seriously wrong."

In response, Bristol City Council says about £47.4million of the amount being spent on Bristol Beacon has come from grant funding and external donations, including the Government, West of England Combined Authority (Weca), the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.

It says the "vast majority" of the £2billion in the council's overall 10-year capital investment programme is dedicated to housing.

A spokesperson said: "In addition to providing much-needed housing, this capital spending will be invested directly into the fabric of the city as we aim to improve current highways infrastructure and deliver the largest regeneration scheme in the South West at Temple Quarter.

"The net value of the investment in the Temple Quarter regeneration alone will see billions of pounds unlocked for the local economy that includes new jobs and homes."

According to a report compiled by accountants KPMG in 2017, the restored Bristol Beacon could contribute more than £250m to Bristol's economy in the 20 years after reopening, and create hundreds of jobs.

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