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Leader defends Breckland Council's spending on defunct apps




A council leader has defended spending almost £150,000 on ill-fated digital ventures.

Breckland Council launched both the ShopAppy and Breckworld apps in 2018 with the aim of supporting tourism and increasing high street footfall across the district.

Despite the huge financial backing, both apps are now defunct - and the council’s flagship Breckworld was only downloaded 5,000 times before it closed.

Breckland Council's leader, Sam Chapman-Allen
Breckland Council's leader, Sam Chapman-Allen

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, the leader of the council, has dismissed accusations that taxpayer funds were wasted and insists the apps “lifted the profile” of towns in the district.

The collaboration with ShopAppy, an online marketplace which teams up with councils, was intended to promote independent shops and encourage users to make online purchases.

However, this was scrapped after just three years and £51,000 of investment.

Breckworld was a free app featuring videos which allowed locals and visitors to explore the district’s towns and attractions, with voiceovers by actor Stephen Fry, and included a virtual treasure hunt.

The council spent some £91,000 on developing the app, which it says was downloaded more than 5,000 times across Apple and Android devices over the last six years.

Breckworld is no longer available to download and those who already had the app on their phone cannot access the content inside.

Councillors are now questioning whether the authority exercised sufficient “financial prudence” when launching the two schemes.

Cllr Chapman-Allen insisted the apps had been a success and blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for their “demise”.

He said: “I’m not prepared to sit here and say Breckland will not take brave, bold, innovative decisions to support residents and businesses.

“We were able to lift the profile of our market towns and these apps provided the groundwork for new opportunities and funding in these areas.

“I believe if the pandemic had not happened the apps would have been more successful but I do not have a crystal ball.”



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