East Riding of Yorkshire Council leader hopes the area can become a 'staycation' hotspot

Richard Burton's been outlining his hopes for the future once lockdown restrictions ease

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 18th Mar 2021
Last updated 18th Mar 2021

There's hope that places like Bridlington, Flamborough and Bempton can become 'staycation' hotspots.

That's what the leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council's been telling us.

Richard Burton's been talking to us as part of our #LeadersinLockdown initiative.

Today from 7pm, you'll be able to watch videos of questions we've asked him on your behalf, as well as Scarborough Borough Council Leader, Steve Siddons, about the pandemic and prospects for the future.

Richard thinks businesses there will get the chance to recover later this year:

"With the vaccination rollout happening in the way it is, and the fact that we're a country that's ahead of most other places, it's highly likely that staycations are going to be potentially booming later this year.

"It's a good opportunity for businesses who are able to safely re-open.

"If staycations take off in the East Riding of Yorkshire, then we can potentially attract new business from quite far away.

"People who would normally be going abroad might venture here instead, so it could open us up to a range of new customers."

We also asked Councillor Burton how he intends to impress any new tourists in the coming months:

"First impressions matter. The street scene is important, we've got to cut the grass regularly and do the basics right so that the area looks nice.

"People who come here might want to walk around, so it's about making sure that the sea fronts are well looked after.

"We want to spend some money on these beauty spots so that when people come here, they like what they see and want to come back again."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.