Agenda item

To consider reports from Make It York (MIY) on the company’s financial and non-financial performance since the last report in October 2025. 

The Managing Director and the Head of Finance, Make It York (MIY) Ltd provided the committee with an update on the company’s financial and non-financial performance since the last report.

It was noted that:

·       It had been another solid year at MIY, with investment into the Shambles Market and international marketing.

·       The business was delivering against all key performance indicators; reporting to council was more transparent and robust, with documentation to evidence performance outputs and outcomes against strategic linkages in the SLA. There was a strong risk register in place against targets set by the council. 

·       The Christmas Market in 2025 had gone well and the new layout had been been positively received. There had been fewer complaints about this. Lots of conversations had been undertaken with buskers to make sure crowds were not too bad in potential bottenecks.

·       The Star in York campaign had been held up as good DMO practice by Visit Britain.

·       The Residents Festival had been a massive success, with 98,000 visits to the website against a population of 210,000.

·       They had worked with the council on the marketing strategy for the Shambles Market, which was performing really well, and were about to produce the action plan for the board to increase investment to the Shambles Market.

·       They were planning new trail for 2026, working closely with the Minster and Mystery Plays, which was not reliant on sponsorship. They understood that residents appreciated the trails and were therefore investing in these.

·       The business was financially sound, with the right procedures in place and they were looking forward to planning for next year’s events.

·       Members noted that they were now able to fulfil previous council requests to do more for residents, acknowledging that what was good for residents was also good for tourists.

·       Members asked about 3% of the Christmas market spend being on transport and the Managing Director clarified that this figure represented overall visitors to York. This Christmas Market survey was undertaken online, and she would prefer face to face in future – since online tends to have a bias toward visitors.

·       The Managing Director acknowledged Aesthetica and their UNESCO. Expo, short film festival which attracted people from all over the globe.

[Between 5.36pm and 5.47pm the press and public were excluded from the meeting during consideration of Appendix 1 to the report].

Resolved:  

            i.                      To note the MIY Shareholder Report at Annex A and the supporting documents including Appendix 1 to 5 supplied by MIY.

          ii.                       To approve the payment of the £50,000 to the Council referred to under Annex A.

Reason:     To ensure the Council is updated on the financial and non-financial performance of Make It York, its business plan and the SLA performance.