Universal UK Project: Work still 'on track' despite Government changes, council told

A Bedford Borough Council officer was due to update the Committee on Universal Studios’ investment plans in the borough, but they were not at the meeting.

Instead, Jon Shortland, the council’s chief officer for highways, transport, planning and infrastructure development, was asked by the committee chair, councillor Colleen Atkins (Labour, Harpur) to give an update on what he knows about the project.

But he replied: “I don’t think I can tell you everything I know because I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement. I will try to have to think of what is publicly known that I can talk about.

“My impression of how things are going is that they are going very positively,” he said.

“If I was to hazard a guess I would say that both sides are approaching a deal which could be beneficial for all parties.

“The new government was a bit of a surprise, I think, to our American colleagues. They weren’t expecting an [election] to be called, I don’t think many of us were.

“They had been talking to members of the shadow cabinet, the member of the shadow cabinet who was most closely involved with this was the shadow for culture, media, and sport.

“And she was one of the few Labour MPs to lose their seats,” he said. “So they’ve had to do some work with the new minister.

“But things are still on track I understand they’ll be a decision before the end of the year,” he said.

> Yesterday the leaders of six local authorities revealed they had penned a joint letter to the Prime Minister, backing the plans.