Barnsley Council criticised after paying tenants £10million at Glass Works

A spreadsheet sent to the Local Democracy Service showed how much money Barnsley Council allocated to some of the biggest brands, such as Cineworld or TK Maxx.

This list includes £2.1m paid to TJX (TK Maxx), £1.45m paid to Next, £1.05m paid to Cineworld (plus the same again in 2022/23), £750k to QLP (Superbowl), £630k to Sports Direct, £75k to TFS (The Fragrance Shop), and £193,500 paid to 3C UK Group.

A source accused the authority of letting these payments “leave the local economy” as the beneficiaries are global brands – and unnamed businesses and individuals.

The dataset also shows one payment of £50,000 to a local business called “Dollys Deserts” (which is Dolly’s Desserts, actually). Barnsley NHS Foundation Trust and Barnsley Civic Enterprise LTD also received some funding.

The same source added “in total over the two years 2021/22 and 2022/23 there has been over £10 million paid to Glassworks tenants”.

The Local Democracy Service asked the council why it paid those big companies millions of pounds and whether those companies would be leaving Glass Works without the funding.

Cllr Steve Houghton, the leader of Barnsley Council, said in a news release “developers making capital contributions to tenant fit-out costs are not ‘sweeteners’, brown envelopes or backhanders”.

He added suggesting otherwise is “slanderous”.

Cllr Houghton told the LDRS: “Through the planning and delivery of The Glass Works, we’ve been focused on bringing the best possible offering to the people of Barnsley.

“Capital contributions, such as these, made from landlords to tenants are standard practice across the retail, leisure and hospitality industries, and The Glass Works development is no different.

“The capital contributions for fit-out costs paid to each tenant are negotiated individually with incoming tenants, and Barnsley Council alongside our leasing agents have worked hard to make sure that any contributions are in-line with industry standards and deliver value for money.

“Although there is an upfront cost, all capital contributions formed part of the budgets set aside for The Glass Works project from the outset.

“With 89% of the development now let, we can see the results. The state-of-the-art technology, incredible fit-outs and a brilliantly diverse range of tenants, from national brands to local independents, have resulted in a 30% increase in footfall for the first seven months of 2023 compared to the previous year.

“With our new public square which plays host to some fantastic events including Flavours Food Festival and Barnsley’s Big Weekend, the incredible 13-screen Cineworld with 4DX, IMAX and Screen X, retail giants in FLANNELS, Next, Sports Direct and TK Maxx, great places to eat and drink such as The Botanist, Market kitchen and The Salt House, and a new home for Barnsley Market, we have a town centre to rival any town in the country.”