THE councillor who spent hundreds of hours helping to get York Barbican reopened has spoken of his delight that the city once again has a venue to be proud of.

As City of York Council’s executive member for leisure, Liberal Democrat Coun Nigel Ayre was closely involved with officers in negotiations with SMG, which has taken over the running of the entertainment venue.

He said yesterday it was “fantastic” to be present at the official reopening on Saturday night, when the BBC Philharmonic performed.

He said: “When I took over the leisure portfolio in 2009, my focus was on resolving the funding issue for York’s new swimming pool and reopening the Barbican as a venue that the city could be proud of.”

He said it had been imperative the tender process was run thoroughly to ensure the final bidder was someone of the calibre of SMG.

“I was always clear in my head what the city and residents wanted and I spent hundreds of hours, and officers many more, working to ensure we are where we are today.”

He said to see the Barbican finally opened as a clear focused venue with a real future was perhaps the highlight of his period in the role, adding that this had been achieved while reducing the annual cost to the taxpayer by about £1 million.