Staff lose jobs as Destination Lincolnshire ceases trading
Destination Lincolnshire – the body charged with growing the county’s visitor economy - has gone bust.
The members of the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) received a statement from its former Business Manager Jayne Warren today informing them that the organisation, which covered Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland, had ceased trading ‘following a period of financial difficulty’.
The statement read: “Despite the considerable value and positive impact of its work within the visitor economy, including the successful delivery of major countywide and national projects, as an organisation we have been unable to generate sufficient income to cover essential operation costs leaving us financially unstable.
“With regret all staff were made redundant with immediate effect earlier this week. The board will remain in position for a short period to hand over to the insolvency practitioners.”
Cllr Joshua Wells, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We are sad and disappointed to learn that Destination Lincolnshire has today appointed a liquidator and ceased trading.
“The team there have worked hard to promote and support the visitor economy sector across Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland for a number of years. Throughout this time, the city council, along with a range of partners, supported Destination Lincolnshire and helped form the original Visit Lincoln brand from which it grew.
“City of Lincoln Council remains absolutely committed to supporting Lincoln’s tourism offer and the visitor economy sector. As part of Lincoln’s Town Fund programme, Destination Lincolnshire created a new website for Visit Lincoln and helped deliver an award-winning cultural programme including the very successful Lincoln Lights project earlier this year.
“The council already directly delivers the Visitor Information Service from Castle Square and a varied events programme throughout the year. We must now await the outcome of the liquidation process before establishing our next steps and seeking a way to continue our support of Lincoln’s vital tourism offer.”
The LVEP’s statement thanked members for their support and collaboration over the years: “Moving forward the continued success of Greater Lincolnshire’s visitor economy will now depend on a renewed and robust collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders and the development of a sustainable, resilient funding model to support both strategic impactful tourism initiatives and the infrastructure needed to deliver them.”
Picture: Tony Pleavin