Freedom of Information request reveals that more than £100,000 was spent on Doncaster’s unsuccessful Great British Railways HQ bid

A Freedom of Information request has today (Tuesday) revealed that Doncaster’s bid to become the home of the Great British Railways Headquarters cost a total of £100,864.

Doncaster Council submitted the bid earlier this year to become the home of a new hub that would be the base for rail operations across the country.

Despite being one of six shortlisted, it was announced in March that the city lost out, with Derby being selected as the winner.

Of the total cost, £88,864 came from Doncaster Council’s core revenue budget.

£12,000 was donated by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), the region’s devolved mayoral office.

Broken down, £51,553 was spent on promotion, advertising and public engagement for the bid.

£46,554 was spent on general preparation, while £2,757 was spent on visits to the proposed site.

Last month, just weeks after the bid announcement, speculation surfaced that the project had been shelved after The Times reported that it will not make an appearance in the King’s Speech.

The King’s Speech sets out the Prime Minister’s plans for the upcoming parliamentary year; this year’s speech has now been postponed until Autumn.

In response, the Department for Transport issued a statement saying: “The Government remains fully committed to reforming our railways and will introduce legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows, having already taken numerous steps towards reform.”