The 3,800-seat Bradford Live was due to open in November but performances were cancelled when NEC Group, which runs a number of large venues in and around Birmingham, pulled out of the deal.
The venue, a supposed centrepiece of Bradford's year as UK city of culture in 2025, is standing empty while the council, which will foot £44m of the bill, looks for another operator.
The fiasco has echoes of Co-op Live - the new Manchester arena whose launch this spring was marred by lengthy delays, cancelled gigs and rescheduled performances.
A joint statement by the council and NEC Group in September said a decision had been made by the company that "the venue will be better served by an alternative operator".
NEC Group has not commented further on what brought about the decision, other than that the company would focus on its existing business in the Birmingham area, "after a strategic review of its business".
At a meeting of the full council yesterday afternoon, the council's Labour leadership narrowly survived a vote of no confidence. It has faced anger from within the council, with Rebecca Poulsen, the leader of the Conservative group, labelling the saga a "complete embarrassment, to the council and to the city".
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Denne historien er fra October 16, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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