“Fairness” conference cost over £18,000

York taxpayers to cough up £8235

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the “Fairness Conference”, held earlier in the summer, cost £18,235 of which £10,000 was paid by Joseph Rowntrees Foundation.

The figures do not include “help in kind” contributions with the University providing free accommodation and an evening “reception”.

Speakers were not paid a fee but claimed £820 for air tickets, £303 for taxis, £361 for train tickets and £736 for accommodation.

The conference was criticised for unnecessary costs and lack of political balance in the line up of speakers (who were overwhelmingly Labour spokespeople).

Some suggested that the cost of the event might more usefully have been spent on the direct relief of poverty.

Full details of the expenses incurred can be found by clicking here

Fairness Conference costs questioned as Huntington concert struggles

Sources with the York Council are saying that the costs – to Council taxpayers – of the recent Fairness Conference could be as much as £10,000. Apparently a similar level of funding has come from a local charity.

If confirmed, the figure will be similar to the amount being cut from the budgets of two York Council community centres both of which serve low income neighbourhoods.

The Foxwood Community Centre in particular is now struggling to find volunteers to continue to run the facility in the wake of the Council cuts.

One major user is moving to other accommodation claiming that the lack of commitment by the Council, to the future of community facilities ,was a factor in their decision.

An attempt is to be made to form a new management committee in September by which time it is hoped a new core tenant will have been found.

NB. As reported earlier in the week, the Councils Grand Départy Concert on 4 July has run into financial difficulties.

Likely to cost a six figure sum to stage, only a few hundred tickets have been sold so far.

A new act has, however, been added to the lineup for the concert

York “Fairness Conference” fails fairness test!

A “Fairness Conference” – beng promoted by the York Council – has been criticised for being “unfair”.

Critics say that the conference – taking place at York University on 9^th June – is unbalanced as it features only Labour party speakers.

They include the Labour leaders of four Councils as well as no fewer than three Labour MPs.

The nearest that the conference gets to political balance is in the introduction on a flyer which refers to the inspirational work of Liberal campaigner Joseph Rowntree.

While the Labour Party are free to debate whatever issues they wish – and this topic is a worthy one – they should not use public money to promote their spokespeople.

The Conference is also being attended by the Archbishop of York and several academics.