A COVENTRY City Council chief will fly business class using taxpayers’ money for a £4,500 trip to a real estate conference in the United Arab Emirates – with ‘no leads’ on potential investors, we can reveal.
The council’s deputy chief executive for place, Martin Yardley, is set to represent Coventry at the Middle East Real Estate Forum in Dubai from Saturday, April 27 to Thursday, May 2.
Eyebrows have been raised about the eye-watering £3,500 paid by taxpayers for the Emirates airline business class flight ticket as well as the £600 price tag for five nights’ accommodation.
A simple internet search shows return Emirates business class saver tickets on those dates to Dubai can be bought for about £1,200 and under £2,500 for first class.
Other comparison websites show economy class tickets on those days from other airlines can be bought for under £400.
Questioned by us, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration Jim O’Boyle said the trip will be important in opening the city up to an emerging international market.
But he did concede it was difficult to demonstrate whether any investment would flow from the visit.
Coun O’Boyle would not be drawn on our further questions about the costly flight.
Ruling Labour councillors are expected to approve the trip for Mr Yardley at next Tuesday’s (April 9) cabinet meeting.
The trip also includes spending by city taxpayers of £200 for subsistence and £200 for ‘visit support costs’, which are said to be only for emergencies.
Around £2,000 of the trip will be financed through the Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hub, says Coun O’Boyle – which is funded by government.
But the LEP’s contribution is not mentioned in an agenda document to go before councillors which seeks approval for a total spend of £4,500.
A previous council trip to Volgograd, Russia, which cost £2,000 for three councillors for a six-day trip, was lambasted by opposition Conservative councillors as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
A cabinet agenda report states the key objectives for the visit are: “Meet with some of the world’s largest sovereign Wealth Funds to promote key investment opportunities in Coventry.
“Facilitate new networks and connections with active investors and real estate professionals in the UAE.
“Highlight the existence of major assets such as the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, the National Automotive Innovation Centre and Friargate including related economic growth opportunities and delivery timescales.
“Demonstrate Coventry and the region’s openness as an investment location and economy to an already interested investor base.”
Coun O’Boyle said: “Well the potential economic gain is making connections with one of the biggest economic areas in the world and they are looking outwards to invest in wider parts of the UK other than London.
“And Coventry wants to be at the forefront of this.
“Martin Yardley is going to be flying out overnight and will be in meetings first thing as soon as he gets off the plane.
“And he will be fighting, not for the West Midlands, he will be battling for Coventry.
“It’s difficult to say at this stage what actual leads we’ve got but making those leads, making those contacts, inviting them over later on to have a look around the city centre and see how it is changing and growing and how investment from overseas is having a beneficial impact on our economy – I expect they will want to have a piece of that.
“We are the centre of connected and autonomous vehicles, we are the centre for the UK battery and industrialisation centre, this is of interest and not just to the rest of this country but to the world.”
