TOURISM PROMOTION NEEDS TO BE BOROUGH-WIDE - NOT JUST FOR CLEETHORPES

                                                               

Cllr Hyldon-King - don't overlook Grimsby!

A REMINDER that tourism promotion in North East Lincolnshire needs to be "borough-wide - not just Cleethorpes".

The observation came from Cllr Tim Mickleburgh at a scrutiny panel meeting.

He noted, for instance, the significance of Immingham in the story of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Cllr Jane Hyldon-King expressed concern that the remit of the council's tourism manager was to focus specifically on Cleethorpes.

"It worries me that any future external funding for tourism will go to Cleethorpes alone," she said.

"Tourism is also important to Grimsby and needs to be encouraged."

NELC's portfolio  holder for tourism, Cllr Callum Procter, noted that Grimsby  would benefit from the authority's  newly-appointed "strategic lead officer" for culture.

"A large array of events had been lined up for Riverhead Square and elsewhere in Grimsby," he said. "But sadly they had to be cancelled because of covid.

"However, it is the authority's aspiration to stage as many events as possible as soon as circumstances allow it."

Cllr Tim Mickleburgh insisted that a new bus station needed to be provided for the benefit of town centre visitors.

"What's the point of staging events if people can't get to them?" he demanded.

Agreement came from Cllr Hyldon-King who noted that the existing arrangements for buses had been "very poorly thought-out".

The portfolio holder acknowledged that the town centre bus stops were "scattered all over the place" and "enhancement" was required.