Bury Council says it made a 'late decision' to attend controversial MIPIM property conference after Greater Manchester Combined Authority urged all 10 councils to take part, following backlash from the Daily Mails article.
Bury Council has confirmed it sent an officer to the high-profile 'boozy' MIPIM property conference in Cannes, only after being urged to do so by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) , a decision made shortly before the event and now under fire following public backlash triggered by a Daily Mail investigation.
The Daily Mail report, published earlier this week, revealed that civil servants from across Greater Manchester ran up a collective £170,000 bill attending the four-day event on the French Riviera. The exposé included photos of champagne receptions, lobster buffets and networking parties, prompting criticism, especially at a time when households are facing steep council tax increases.
Bury Council has defended its £12,000 taxpayer-funded spend but acknowledged that the decision to attend was made “late” and only after a request from the GMCA to ensure all 10 local authorities were represented at the international investor summit.
The council clarified it sent just one officer to represent the borough, who worked “extremely long days” promoting local regeneration projects, including a £250 million development programme for Bury, Radcliffe and Prestwich. The trip was also framed as part of wider efforts to promote the £1 billion Northern Gateway, the largest regeneration site in the north of England, expected to deliver 20,000 jobs.
However, the statement's admission that Bury only attended after a GMCA request has led to accusations the council bowed to regional pressure. “We took a late decision to send one officer to the conference, at the request of the GMCA, in order that the whole of GM was represented,” it reads.
Of the £12,000 total cost, £9,000 went to Marketing Manchester for event access and promotional support, while the remaining costs covered accommodation, economy flights with EasyJet, and subsistence, reportedly under £20 a day.
Despite distancing itself from the more lavish elements of the wider delegation, it is argued that Bury’s attendance still sends the wrong message, particularly when local services face cuts and council tax is set to rise. Some have questioned why the council did not reject the GMCA’s request, especially given the timing and cost.
The council insists the trip was a sound investment in the borough’s economic future. It also pointed to a feature in Place North West, titled A new era for Bury: retail, regeneration, and resilience; as evidence of Bury’s high-profile visibility at the conference.
The press release continued to say: “We are acutely conscious of the need to spend taxpayers’ money wisely. We are confident that the cost of attending this conference will be repaid many times over by the economic and employment benefits this borough will secure.”
Nonetheless, the fallout from the Daily Mail’s reporting has cast a shadow over the decision. With pressure growing across Greater Manchester to justify MIPIM-related spending, Bury’s move, albeit smaller in scale than others, is now part of a broader debate over how regional collaboration should balance with local accountability and budgeting.
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