Breckland Council's £90k Breckworld vanishes from app store

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

While its partnership with ShopAppy was scrapped three years ago, it has now emerged that Breckworld has also disappeared from the app store.

Councillors have described the projects as an "embarrassment" after new figures revealed just 5,000 people downloaded Breckworld over the last six years.

This is equivalent to less than 4pc of the district's 140,000-strong population and means it cost more than £18 for each download.

Former leader of Breckland, William Nunn, with Ryan Baxter, inventor of Breckworld and developer (Image: Keith Mindham Photography) WHAT ARE THE APPS? 

Breckland Council launched Breckworld and ShopAppy in 2018 to drive footfall in high streets across towns such as Dereham, Thetford and Swaffham.

The collaboration with ShopAppy, an online marketplace that teams up with local 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. 

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The Breckworld app launched for Android in 2019 (Image: Keith Mindham Photography) 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. 

The total cost of the projects will be even higher - with thousands of pounds spent on digital campaigns and promotional material.

APP GOES AWOL

While the council insists Breckworld has not been "shut down" the app is no longer available to download on devices. 

Those who already had the app on their phone have also found they cannot access the content inside - although it is unclear how long this has been the case. 

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ShopAppy has worked with councils across the country (Image: Archant Norfolk 2018) The council has not released any updates regarding the future of Breckworld and declined to comment on its exact status. 

However, it has not promoted the app on its social media platforms in more than four years.

'AN EMBARRASSMENT'

Both councillors and members of the public have criticised the ShopAppy and Breckworld projects. 

Roger Atterwill, an independent member of the council, said: "This was just another classic Breckland gimmick and not a good use of taxpayer money at all. 

"It is embarrassing and profligate when we've got a massive black hole in the budget. There is no way of measuring the outcome of this but I don't see any evidence of these apps having attracted people to the area."

Breckland councillor Roger Atterwill (Image: Submitted) Kendra Cogman, leader of the Labour group, raised concerns about the "transparency" of the project and its future. 

She said: "The trust of local people in this council has been shaken and we need to make sure they have faith in us to spend their money wisely. The success or failure of this scheme was not transparent or measurable.

"I'm sure it was well-intentioned but I wonder how much this actually did for tourism in the area - we don't live by the coast and I'm not sure tourism is a key part of our local economy."

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Kendra Cogman, leader of the Labour group (Image: Submitted) Breckland Council has recently come under fire for its use of funds after it emerged it paid an artist £16,000 for a mural project that was never painted. 

The authority is also still trying to sell Barnham Broom Club and Hotel - which it is advertising for less than it was purchased - almost a year on and after spending £15,000 on legal fees to prevent commercial details from being made public.

These investments have been subject to particular scrutiny since the council revealed its intention to introduce car parking charges across the district to help pay upkeep bills. 

The Conservative-led authority has already agreed to spend around £90,000 on initial steps to develop the scheme.