‘The good times will return and we have to give people something to look forward to’
CONFIDENT: Daren Hale, deputy leader of Hull City Council. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography
Hull City Council is continuing to invest in major capital projects to transform leisure and cultural facilities, despite the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this exclusive interview, Deputy leader Daren Hale told Rick Lyon how it is planning to build its way out of the crisis
Hull’s continued regeneration will not be halted by the coronavirus crisis because people in the city need hope there are better times to come, the council’s deputy leader has insisted.
Councillor Daren Hale is steadfast in his belief that an ambitious programme of capital projects must continue “at pace”, despite the council’s finances being badly hit by Covid-19.
Investments in facilities such as Beverley Road Baths, East Park and Pickering Park, as well as the maritime project, will be essential to the city’s recovery, he said.
“I know that at this time some of this may seem a bit fanciful - almost like we’re talking about a bygone age - but the good times will return and we’ve got to give people hope that, when they do come back, there will be things to enjoy,” Coun Hale told The Hull Story.
“Although the good times will come back, I don’t know that foreign travel will bounce back all that quickly, so people are going to be spending more time here.
“Our sizable capital programme - which is hundreds of millions of pounds over the last and the next few years - continues at pace, and it has to.
“We’ve been quite clear that you build yourself out of a potential recession, you don’t build yourself into one.
“We’re not pausing because we believe the time to invest is now, so that people have better times to look forward to.
“The other thing to consider is that these capital programmes will employ hundreds of people.”
The multi-million pound investments Coun Hale refers to include:
The renovation of Beverley Road Baths, including a new gym, roof and equipment
Similar works at Albert Avenue Baths, as well as bringing the outdoor pool back into use
A new water play area in East Park and restoration of the Victorian splash boat
Creating a state-of-the-art facility for rescued birds at the Pickering Park aviary
The redevelopment of Queens Gardens
The Hull: Yorkshire Maritime City project, which will include a fully remodelled Maritime Museum.
‘IT WILL BE A STRUGGLE’: Daren Hale speaking to The Hull Story. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography.
These projects follow recent improvements at Woodford and Ennerdale leisure centres, as well as the restoration of Pearson Park.
Despite the pandemic leaving the council with a developing financial hole, Coun Hale said Hull has already bounced back positively from lockdown and believes it is well placed to do so again if further restrictions are imposed.
The Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration, Planning, Land and Property said: “Compared to some of the bigger cities, Hull has come back quite quickly.
“A lot of people have got on the train at King’s Cross and got off at Hull and said it’s much busier here. Manchester is also very, very quiet.
“Certainly, a lot of the measures we’ve put into place to help with reopening have worked, including licenses for outdoor eating and drinking. That’s led to the bounce back and the feelgood factor returning.
“The other thing we did was put in a proposal for street and taxi marshals to add that reassurance, and that’s had the desired effect in encouraging people that it’s a safe place to go.
“We did all we could to assist a safe reopening of the city and we’ve certainly been very successful compared to bigger cities.
“The thing about Hull is that a lot of the hospitality and leisure businesses are locally owned and managed, they’re not national chains, and that’s helped.
“You look at the fabulous Trinity Market, which was one of our regeneration projects, and business there is almost on a par to pre-lockdown.
“If you go to Humber Street, when the sun was shining that was really thriving.”
INVESTMENT: Capital projects are going ahead in Hull. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography, courtesy of Freedom Festival Arts Trust
With localised restrictions being implemented increasingly across the country; however, Coun Hale accepts there will be difficult times ahead for businesses, and the city in general.
“You always have to be prepared for the fact that it might happen here because we are realists and obviously it’s occurring in Leeds, it’s been the case in Huddersfield, there’s been a spike in the North East and similarly in Manchester,” he said.
“There’s been quite a tight lockdown in the student areas of Leeds and Manchester and we’re obviously a university city as well.
“At this moment in time, it’s on the rise and there’s got to be a risk.
“We know that, economically, it’s going to be a struggle for people in this city and in cities across the country, despite the Government’s support programme.
“Unemployment nationally will probably go to levels beyond what we’ve seen since the 1980s and we will not be immune to those pressures.
“It’s up to us to make sure there’s hope in the city.”