The £95M ($136M) Bristol Arena by Populous "has become embroiled in a political spat between mayoral hopefuls" dueling for the city’s forthcoming election. Independent incumbent George Ferguson, a former president of the RIBA, has "blasted his Labour rival for 'playing politics'" after he backed city counselors' decisions to "defer a key planning decision." Ferguson believes the "political crossfire risks causing expensive delays to the competition-winning project" which had been expected to be completed in '18. Labour candidate Marvin Rees said that he wanted the arena to go-ahead but "not just rushed through as a vanity project" (ARCHITECTS JOURNAL, 3/7).
Liverpool is set to recruit 1,000 new employees to work in Anfield's new Main Stand when it is completed. The stand, which is currently being expanded to accommodate an extra 8,500 supporters, "will be finished in time" for the beginning of the '16-17 campaign. Anfield will hold around 54,000 supporters when the stand is completed. This means the club will need "an extra 1,000 matchday staff to work in its kitchen, retail, catering, safety, hospitality, tours and museum teams." It will mark "the biggest recruitment drive in the club’s history" (London DAILY MIRROR, 3/7).
