COUNCIL bosses have declined an invitation to discuss their BIC hotel plan with Echo journalists in person.

The request followed a tweet by the borough's head of economic growth Councillor Philip Broadhead on Thursday in which he complained about "lots of very worryingly misinformed reporting from the local media" – the day the Echo published an exposé with criticism of the council's planned investment of taxpayers' cash.

The council intends fund the construction of a hotel complex on the site next to the BIC at a cost of at least £64 million, using money borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board. Industry insiders claim the cost will be closer to £70m, and question the projected investment value and income figures the borough is said to be relying on to justify the scheme.

They also claim it will unfairly take business from private hotels.

As pointed out in the Echo on Thursday, we asked the council a number of questions relating to the scheme which remain unanswered.

On Friday we invited Cllr Broadhead, who has led on the project, or council leader John Beesley, to speak with us about the justification behind the scheme and the criticisms which have been raised.

A borough spokesman said: "In response to your questions earlier this week we provided you all the information that we can at this stage and have nothing further to offer.

"We’d be happy to do an interview once the contracts are signed and we’re able to talk in more detail about the scheme. As previously advised we’re still in commercial negotiations."

She said the council has already "set out the rationale and background for the scheme" through cabinet reports and at public meetings, although the majority of the discussion of the hotel project at meetings has taken place in private session with the public and press excluded, again for reasons of supposed commercial sensitivity.

While the council has yet to formally sign contracts it has named its development partners in the project – Mill Lane Estates of Manchester and Marick Real Estate of Woking.

The Echo argued that "the public have a right to hear about the details of a major taxpayer-funded scheme before the contracts are signed and not afterwards".

Cllr Broadhead also posted on Twitter what appears to be a CGI of the proposed hotel. So far no such images have been officially put out by the council.