Page 4 of 9 FirstFirst ... 23456 ... LastLast
Results 46 to 60 of 127

Thread: Culture Company Incompetence

  1. #46
    Libertarian
    Guest Libertarian's Avatar

    Default

    It is a fact that the culture company couldn't organise a Piss up in a hard drinking town


  2. #47
    Senior Member Howie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Kensington, Liverpool
    Age
    69
    Posts
    1,195

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AK1 View Post
    The council should concentrate on getting this mess cleared up, finding those to blame and dealing with them.
    THE fallout from the cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival refused to go away last night after the Labour leader demanded resignations.

    Cllr Joe Anderson said council leader Warren Bradley, council chief executive Colin Hilton, or the chief executive of the Culture Company, Jason Harborow, should do the “honest and honourable thing”.

    “Somebody has to take ultimate responsibility,” he said.

    “It’s cost the city hundreds of thousands of pounds, and Liverpool’s reputation has been damaged locally, nationally and internationally.

    “Our reputation has been damaged at a crucial time in our birthday year, and somebody has to accept responsibility for that.

    More...

  3. #48
    Creator & Administrator Kev's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Under The Stairs >> Under The Mud.
    Posts
    7,488
    Blog Entries
    4

    Default

    LIVERPOOL’S Culture Company is set to be dismantled in the fallout of the Mathew Street Festival saga. Read
    Become A Supporter 👇


    Donate Via PayPal


    Donate


  4. #49
    Michael miguel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Princes Park
    Posts
    38

    Default

    Better later than never one can only suppose.
    War is the terrorism of the rich... Terrorism is the war of the poor. - Peter Ustinov

  5. #50
    Senior Member geoffrey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    58

    Default not very credible inquiry to go on and on

    Cash cut ‘led to Mathew Street fiasco’

    Sep 4 2007

    by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

    A MASSIVE cut in the budget for the Mathew Street Festival played a part in its cancellation, it was claimed last night.

    In 2006, £680,000 was spent on the festival, but this year just £400,000 was set aside for the event by the city council.

    Last night, deputy Labour opposition leader Paul Brant said it should have been clear that cutting the budget to £400,000 could have safety implications, which in the end led to the cancellation of the festival’s famous outdoor stages.

    It left thousands of fans disappointed and saw the number of visitors to the alternative indoor festival suffer a huge drop from previous years. Officials said that the 2006 budget had been £500,000 but there had been an overspend, and this year the money intended for the festival had been reduced because the scale of the festival was smaller.

    They pledged the budget would go back to £500,000 for the 2008 festival in Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year.

    The new row came as councillors prepared for the first major public debate on the festival.

    A meeting tomorrow night will see calls for a vote of no confidence in council leader Warren Bradley backed by demands for an independent inquiry led by a QC to investigate the cancellation of the festival on health and safety grounds.

    It also follows claims from the former events manager at the Culture Company, Lee Forde, that he had grave concerns about the resourcing of events about a year ago.

    Last week he revealed he quit his job in June because he felt he did not have enough resources to deliver the 800th birthday weekend celebrations (which included the Mathew Street Festival) and events into 2008.

    Mr Forde is pursuing a claim against Liverpool City Council for constructive dismissal.

    Later this week, Cllr Bradley will be giving evidence before the internal council inquiry into the fiasco.

    The inquiry had been expected to report its findings relatively quickly but insiders said it could be the end of September before there was a result.

    Last night, Cllr Brant said: “It’s my understanding this year’s Mathew Street Festival was being required to be delivered with a budget of £400,000 as opposed to £680,000 last year.

    “This was as a result of a council instruction to save money.

    “It must have been obvious to anybody involved that this was not going to be possible and could lead to safety concerns, which is of course what happened.”

    Cllr Brant said the fact Cllr Bradley was giving evidence to the inquiry meant he could be in line for criticism.

    A city council spokesman said: “The budget for this year’s planned Mathew Street Festival was reduced from £500,000 to £400,000, not to save money, but because the festival was scheduled to take place over just two days, compared to an extended four day festival in 2006.

    “In addition, a significant proportion of the budget for the 2006 festival was spent on the huge Pier Head stages and all the associated sound and lighting works, which could not be used this year because of the regeneration work taking place on the waterfront.”

    He said he could not comment on the inquiry while it was being held.

    davidbartlett

    Source:
    Daily Post

  6. #51
    Newbie king john's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    king john's hunting lodge, sefton park
    Posts
    12

    Arrow "The Shaming Of Liverpool"

    The most insulting words from Jason Harborough were featured in the Daily Post, how rude and insensitive this man was being to all Liverpudlians. He was quoted as saying he was "comfortable" with the decision to cancel the festival. I would be so rude as to say most people who had an income of £15000.00 per annum usually do feel comfortable. J.H. without a hesitation treated us with utter contempt. Our city fathers treated us no better, who in their right mind's goes off on leave when the biggest event <at no less a time than our 800th birthday>, is about to take place.The sheer incompetence is astronomic. Obviously J.H. was entirely "comfortable" and had no concerns as to how his "Boss" Warren Bradley would deal with him or the situation and to cap it all he J.H. was refusing to go. What a fiasco, a comedy of errors, this ranks with Alfred burning the cakes or indeed Warren playing his fiddle while Liverpool burned.

  7. #52

    Default CoC wages of dim

    Quote Originally Posted by Kev View Post
    THE art-world high-flyers who make up the board of the Liverpool Culture Company were last night described as “toothless” by a leading opposition politician.

    The board members rub shoulders with famous figures in the cultural world, as well as leading government ministers.

    But none of them appeared to know the Mathew Street Festival was about to collapse, despite it being an event now run by the very Culture Company whose board they sit on.

    Like many ordinary people, they found out when the council issued a notice saying the flagship event had been scrapped.

    Board chairman Professor Drummond Bone, vice- chancellor of the University of Liverpool, admitted he had not known beforehand, and other board members also said they were in the dark.

    It has begged the question – who then is in charge of the Liverpool Culture Company? The answer clearly is the senior directors led by £150,000-a-year chief executive Jason Harborow, 37.

    But an even bigger question is how their work is monitored and controlled?

    Ironically, Professor Bone streamlined the board in 2006 to ensure its members were more in touch with plans for 2008.

    The original membership of 25 was cut to 15 – now reduced to 14 following the resignation of Labour leader Joe Anderson.

    Half of the original membership departed, with two new recruits: were brought in, TV mogul Phil Redmond and BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Phillips.

    Prof Bone had planned to go even further by selecting individual board members to chair specific task groups, to ensure the board kept a finger on the pulse at all times. That arrangement never happened.

    Cllr Anderson fears the way the Culture Company is set-up is hard to control and monitor.

    He said: “We have to ask ourselves whether we created a sort of Frankenstein that we cannot control. I resigned for very good reasons, particularly the fact that I felt uncomfortable that the board had no control over what was happening.”

    Cllr Anderson has vowed to disband the Liverpool Culture Company if and when Labour regain control at the town hall.

    But for now the city has to continue with the remainder of its 800th birthday year and the whole of the 2008 cultural programme.

    Labour’s deputy leader Paul Brant said the Culture board appears to be powerless when it comes to influencing or laying down the law to the Culture Company. “It seems that not only is the board toothless, it doesn’t even have any gums. It seems to serve little purpose,” said the barrister.

    So confusing was the relationship between the Culture Company and the city council that lawyers had to be brought in to work out a legal document to lay down how they spoke to each other.

    The Memorandum of Understanding, overseen by one of Manchester’s top law firms, Eversheds, was drawn up and signed in 2006 to clarify that crucial relationship.

    Leading city figures saw the move as a clear indication the relationship between politicians and those at the head of the Culture Company had hit a low.

    The agreement made it clear the city council itself was legally responsible for the functions of the Culture Company and for disbursing the funding.

    It was made clear the Culture Company board was set up to act in an advisory capacity, working towards creating wider participation by stakeholders.

    The document stated that the chief executive – Jason Harborow – is responsible for its functions as a company. So who scrutinises his work and that of his fellow directors?

    The Culture Company is technically answerable to both the city council and the city’s Culture Select Committee.

    But that, according to deputy Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, a member of the committee, simply doesn’t work. Cllr Rotheram, due to be Lord Mayor at the height of 2008, says politicians raising critical questions in the committee are accused of being negative.

    He said he has fears about the success of other events organised by the Culture Company, following the Mathew Street shambles.

    “We just cannot afford another Mathew Street, but I have to admit that I am fearful about what other disasters lie ahead of us.

    “This is our birthday year, a year that was billed as a dress rehearsal for 2008 and most people in the city will say they have been underwhelmed.”

    Cllr Rotheram now wants a new all-party scrutiny committee especially to keep an eye on the cultural ball - making sure events don’t ever hit problems.

    “We have constantly tried to raise questions at the scrutiny committee about events, including the Mathew Street festival, but we have never been given any answers. Instead, we have been accused of being negative. Now I wish we had pressed even harder for answers.

    “I am less confident than ever about our cultural year. If the Mathew Street festival was cancelled on health and safety grounds, what about the programme of non- ticketed events we have programmed in the coming 15 months – will they too be called off at the last minute?”

    What has raised eyebrows is the amount of money being poured into theLiverpool’s culture programme.

    By the time the culture year comes to an end, next year it will have cost, since 2003/4, more than £107m. Of that total, around £69m will have come from the city council, adding to the burden on council tax payers.

    Grants from bodies such as the NWDA and the Arts Council will have amounted to almost £31m and just £7.2m will have come from private sponsorship.

    In 2005 Jason Harborow predicted that millions of pounds were likely to be pledged within months and it was said at the time that at least £20m was needed from the private sector to fund the 08 ambitions.

    The Culture Company was looking at 12 sponsors, each pledging £2m in cash and benefits in kind.

    So far, 10 main sponsors have been signed up, including the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, and talks are continuing to find the other two.

    But the hard cash is lower than had been anticipated, adding to the desperate race by the council to plug a £20m funding gap of more than £20m next year.

    Earlier this summer, Tessa Jowell visited Liverpool, just before Gordon Brown’s reshuffle, and announced the Government would not offer another penny to Liverpool Culture Company.

    Talks with Whitehall are still going on; though at best they will allow the city to borrow the extra money. Estimates suggest repaying such a loan could cost 1% extra on council tax bills for five years.

    So who looks after the purse- strings at the Liverpool Culture Company?

    While the Culture company itself decides on the artistic programme, the rules state the council will make sure there is full responsibility and accountability for the funding of programmes and other expenditure. There are supposed to be regular reports to the executive board as well as to the scrutiny committees. Financial performance and accountability is the function of Phil Halsall, the city’s executive director for resources – effectively the town hall treasurer.

    The Culture Company’s finance manager is tasked with producing monthly reports on what is being spent. The council also has the authority to conduct periodic auditing and check the annual accounts. But the procurement process – from hiring artists to booking facilities for events – is a duty solely of the Culture Company.

    This year, the Culture Company’s wage bill will be £4.2m for a staff of about 100, rising again next year. The total from Over its lifespan from 2003 to 2008 the total wage bill will amount to around £16m.

    It seems an age ago since the Liverpool culture bid’s dream- team were unveiled with so much promise of great things to come: University of California graduate Kris Donaldson, who had been involved in the sponsorship campaign for the Sydney Olympics in 2000; Mr Harborow, former commercial manager of the Manchester Commonwealth Games; and Millennium Dome commercial manager Kevin Johnson as the first chief operating officer.

    Liverpool, it seemed, had struck Olympic gold. “We needed a top team and we have got just that,” said a culture insider at the time.

    But Mr Johnson was gone within weeks for “family reasons”, an early sign of the problems which would follow.

    Whether Liverpool’s cultural gold is now turning to dust remains to be seen.
    the actual wage bill for up to 2009 is 18.4 million, thats jsut the wages nowt else (JH's compo Robyn Archer's compo etc etc)

  8. #53
    Michael miguel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Princes Park
    Posts
    38

    Default

    In other words we are being ripped off. Pity we can't either withold our rates as a protest, or second an elective non-party applicant. Perhaps back to the old 'Ratepayers Party', to get this lot of shysters slung out.
    War is the terrorism of the rich... Terrorism is the war of the poor. - Peter Ustinov

  9. #54
    Newbie king john's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    king john's hunting lodge, sefton park
    Posts
    12

    Default He/She who pays the piper now demands a class act.

    Surely we must act now and not permit this fiasco to continue.It seems as if we are being held to ransom by these over- paid incompetent gang members. Just because they do not dress like hoodies doesn;t mean they are any less dangerous. They have made Liverpool, the city we all love, a laughing stock throughout the world. If we are prepared to tolerate the inferior and lack lustre performance by the COC we must be only getting what we deserve. Since the very beginning.it has been staring us in the face we neeed look no further back than the Robyn Archer episode it was more like robbin b.'s.We need to put our personal political squabbles aside and do what we do well, act with passion and pride and not let us be made a laughing stock again. We pay large salaries let us demand equally large performances. Much should be expected of those who seek to convince us that they have much to offer. City fathers act for the good of the decent people of this city.Each and every member of the council should stand up and be counted
    .

  10. #55
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Here, there & everywhere.
    Posts
    7,197

    Default

    I have just received this.

    Culture board set for reshuffle
    The board of the Liverpool Culture Company is set to change following the cancellation of much of the Mathew Street Festival last month.
    Plans for the outdoor stages were abandoned two weeks before the event amid safety concerns.

    Following a crisis meeting on Tuesday, a reshuffle is now expected which will see Brian Grey, from the North West Development Agency, become chairman.

    Liverpool City Council Leader Warren Bradley will be his deputy.

    There will be up to six other members, who will all be hands on and regularly in the culture company offices.

    These will include current chairman Professor Drummond Bone.

    Brookside creator Phil Redmond is to lead an artistic advisory group, which it is hoped will help include existing arts organisations in the Capital of Culture celebrations.


    Story from BBC NEWS:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...de/6990567.stm

    Published: 2007/09/12 06:19:58 GMT

    © BBC MMVII
    www.inacityliving.piczo.com/

    Updated weekly with old and new pics.

  11. #56
    Senior Member geoffrey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    58

    Default

    On Edit: Perhaps I'm jumping the gun putting this on the 'incompetence' thread.

    Phil Redmond to shake up 08 programme

    Sep 12 2007

    Liverpool Echo Exclusive

    NEW Culture kingpin Phil Redmond is ready to make changes to the 2008 programme.

    Redmond was last night handed the key artistic role as a slimmed-down board was charged with delivering Capital of Culture.

    Although the same meeting signed off the 08 programme, Redmond is believed to be anxious to address what he sees as significant gaps in the line-up.

    The former Brookside supremo will target greater community involvement and question the value of some setpiece events. He also wants a greater Liverpool “feel” to 08.

    There will be more emphasis on the Open Culture programme he is leading to offer creative opportunities to the people of Merseyside.

    The Mathew Street fiasco left senior board members livid and believing closer control of the Culture Company was essential.

    Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow will come under the direction of the new board as he awaits the results of an internal investigation into the decision to cancel Mathew Street.

    Source: Liverpool Echo
    Last edited by geoffrey; 09-12-2007 at 01:04 PM.

  12. #57
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Here, there & everywhere.
    Posts
    7,197

    Default

    FOR iMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, September 13 2007

    New Culture Company Board announced

    The Liverpool Culture Company is pleased to announce the members of the new slimmed down Board.

    Following this week’s Board meeting, where the programme of events for Capital of Culture 2008 were endorsed, the decision was taken to slim down the Board to ensure that it is able to react more quickly and fast track decisions for the 08 schedule.

    The new Board will focus its efforts on ensuring a quick response approach to two key areas, finance and creativity.

    The Liverpool 08 Board comprises:-

    Bryan Gray, MBE DL – Chairman – responsible for finance
    Cllr Warren Bradley – Deputy Chair and Leader of Liverpool City Council – Responsible for community relations
    Phil Redmond, CBE – Deputy Chair, responsible for creative direction
    Professor Drummond Bone – Vice Chancellor, University of Liverpool
    Cllr Mike Storey, CBE – Liverpool City Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration
    Tom Bloxham, MBE – Chairman of Arts Council England – North West

    Bryan Gray, Chairman, said: “We have moved quickly to complete the formation of the new Board in order to focus our attention on delivery of the 2008 programme which was agreed earlier this week. This is a very strong Board which will work hard on behalf of the people of Liverpool, the wider region and the country to deliver European Capital of Culture 2008 on behalf of the UK.

    ’’We all look forward to working with the Liverpool Culture Company Chief Executive Jason Harborow and his team over the coming year.

    ‘’I wish to thank publicly everyone who has served on the Culture Company Board since Liverpool won the nomination. We are keen to continue benefiting from their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm through the Cultural Group, which Phil Redmond will lead. We will also work with all sectors of the community and all our sponsors and supporters to ensure that Liverpool delivers the best possible year.”



    Biographies:

    Bryan Gray MBE DL
    Bryan Gray is Chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). Amongst his many other roles he is also a Director of Culture Northwest, a Trustee of National Museums Liverpool, a member of Liverpool Cathedral Council and Chairman of Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust. Culture Company Board member since its inception in 2004.

    Cllr Warren Bradley
    Councillor Warren Bradley has been Leader of Liverpool City Council since December 2005. Warren sits on numerous boards in the city as a Director including; Business Liverpool, Liverpool Vision, Liverpool Land Development Company, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, ACE (NW), The Mersey Partnership and North West Vision and Media. Culture Company Board member since 2004.

    Cllr Mike Storey, CBE
    Mike is the Executive Member for Regeneration and a member of the NWDA Board. He was elected to Liverpool City Council in 1973, and is the longest serving councillor. He was Leader of the Council from 1998 until 2005. Appointments to outside bodies include Liverpool Business Improvement District Board, City Centre Development Group and the North West Local Government Association. Culture Company Board member since 2004.

    Phil Redmond, CBE
    Phil founded Mersey Television in 1981 and has since expanded the company into one of Britain's biggest permanent employers in the independent production sector. Phil is a Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University where he is also a Member of the Board of Trustees. Culture Company Board member since 2006.

    Tom Bloxham, MBE
    Tom Bloxham is Chairman, joint founder and major shareholder of the Urban Splash Group Ltd. Tom also chairs the Arts Council England North West and has advised the Government on property matters through its Property Advisory Group (ODPM), its Urban Sounding Board (ODPM) and Urban Task Force (Working Groups). Tom is also chair of the new Manchester International Arts Festival and has recently been and has recently been appointed chair of the IPPR Centre for Cities Think Tank. Culture Company Board member since 2004.

    Professor Drummond Bone
    Professor J. Drummond Bone is currently Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and was President of Universities UK from August 2005 to August 2007. As a University leader and manager he has been particularly involved in the relationship between universities and business and industry and is currently a member of the CBI Science and Innovation Board. Culture Company Board member since 2004.

    ENDS
    www.inacityliving.piczo.com/

    Updated weekly with old and new pics.

  13. #58
    Senior Member Paul D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1,099

    Default

    Phil Redmond's a great addition but why wasn't he on it in the first place? It's another case of outsiders coming in and reaping the benefits,the best women for the job was a scouser who was headhunted by London 2012,instead we got some Australian bint who couldn't be bothered coming to Liverpool.

  14. #59
    Re-member Ged's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Here, there & everywhere.
    Posts
    7,197

    Default

    It's still council led too unlike any other city that's held the CoC which can/has resulted in a conflict of interests. As someone put it to me earlier; Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
    www.inacityliving.piczo.com/

    Updated weekly with old and new pics.

  15. #60
    Libertarian
    Guest Libertarian's Avatar

    Default

    Excellent news that Phil Redmond is taking control. It could be said Mr redmond is Liverpool's answer to the late Tony Wilson.

    Could you imagine if the two had ever worked together?

Page 4 of 9 FirstFirst ... 23456 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Ghost investigations company
    By bluchilli in forum Liverpool Folklore and Oddities
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-31-2010, 02:40 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •