Has Liverpool City Coucil got a 'plan B' shuld this Culture Company hang us out to dry?
anyway....
Special investigation: Culture in crisis?
Jessica Shaughnessy begins our (IC Liverpool) special five-part report into the work of Liverpool Culture Company, the body tasked with making 2008 a success
THE cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival earlier this month has once again brought unwelcome attention to the door of the Liverpool Culture Company.
It led to council leader Warren Bradley setting up an inquiry into the actions of the Culture Company and left its chief executive, Jason Harborow, hanging on to his job by a thread.
Set up with a huge budget to deliver the city’s landmark year as Capital of Culture in 2008, it has all too often been tarnished by negative headlines and a succession of unwanted failures.
As part of a week-long investigation into the stability of next year’s celebrations, the Daily Post can today reveal:
* The relationship between the Liverpool Culture Company and one of Merseyside’s most important cultural organisations has significantly soured;
* The man in charge of the North West’s economic development has put 2008 on his “at risk” list and said he fears it could be too “elitist”;
* Political figures from Liverpool’s neighbouring boroughs say they are “unprepared and uncertain” about their role in 08.
Throughout the recent turbulence surrounding the Culture Company, many of Merseyside’s arts organisations have put on a united front.
But the Daily Post can reveal that National Museums Liverpool (NML) is becoming increasingly disenchanted with 2008.
The organisation is responsible for the likes of the Walker, the Lady Lever Art Gallery and World Museum Liverpool , and is a key player in making 2008 a success.
NML was the only one of the city’s top arts organisations, known as the Great Eight, not to sign a joint statement issued by the other seven when Labour leader Joe Anderson sensationally resigned from the Culture Company board in June.
The museum’s website makes barely a reference to Capital of Culture year, something it should be expected to be shouting from the rooftops, and it does not bear the event’s logo.
On top of that, one of the only board members of the Culture Company not to attend last week’s emergency meeting to discuss the Mathew Street Festival fiasco was NML chairman Loyd Grossman.
Insiders say that, behind the scenes, NML management is becoming more and more frustrated as Capital of Culture year nears.
Although the problems between the museums and the Culture Company are not personal, NML disagrees with fundamental approaches to 2008.
The Daily Post understands it is trying to distance itself from the unofficial club of supporters, now dubbed the “Magnificent Seven”.
They include the Bluecoat, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Tate Liverpool and the Unity Theatre.
One senior figure said: “The reason NML refused to sign the statement following Cllr Anderson’s resignation was because it privately supported some of his criticisms of the council.
“The other seven organisations wanted to come out and gloss over everything he had said and paint a picture that everything was rosy, but the NML simply don’t believe that.
“Relationships with individuals at the Culture Company are still very positive, but the people who run NML believe they are trying to do an impossible task.
‘THERE is not sufficient direction from Liverpool City Council who are ultimately in control. The witch-hunt for Jason Harborow over the Mathew Street episode is farcical, because at the end of the day, he is just a council officer.
“Another bugbear is about funding. NML has received the same amount of money from the Culture Company as small arts organisations. It is expected to put on twice as many events for 2008, but for very little money.”
NML are also said to be disappointed with the lack of inclusivity and believe Capital of Culture should be better used to reach out to communities.
Last night, NML chief executive David Fleming denied a rift and insisted NML was committed to making sure 2008 is a success.
HE SAID: “We are pulling out all the stops to ensure the quality of our exhibitions and public and family programming are outstanding for Capital of Culture year.”
But the concerns expressed by others within NML is shared by others within a variety of organisations in the region.
North West Development Agency (NWDA) chief executive Steven Broomhead says one of his main concerns is that Capital of Culture Year be more “inclusive”.
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He also said he was anxious that Liverpool’s neighbouring boroughs were able to capitalise on the event.
But, out in the districts, politicians give an impression of a region very much in the dark.
Cllr Marie Rimmer, former leader of St Helens Council and NWDA board member, said: “The potential for marketing and exposure for Liverpool, and in turn the whole of Merseyside, is enormous.
“Personally, I don’t know what the programme is and I think that is a problem. The perception of the public is that there is not much going on. People are very, very nervous.
“Nobody knows what exactly next year is about, which makes it difficult for neighbouring boroughs to capitalise on it.
“Each district has nominated an officer, but certainly when I was leader, the communication was not great. There was a point when the themes for the years leading up to 2008 were changed and we were not informed until the last minute.
“Hopefully, things have improved since then, but there is still the fundamental issue that nobody really knows what is going on.”
The running theme of a lack of communication has also been noted in Halton.
“We are on the periphery so it is more difficult to get Capital of Culture at the forefront of people’s minds,” said council leader Tony McDermott.
“We have a lot of planning to do ourselves, so it is frustrating that we have not been told much about what is going on.”
With so little time to go, political leaders are reluctant to start pointing the finger and the “official line” often differs from what is said in private.
But a leading Merseyside tourism figure said: “One of the reasons Liverpool won the bid was because it had the support of the neighbouring authorities.
“The boroughs are anxious that Capital of Culture delivers the benefits that were promised to them, but the problem is they are sometimes being left out of the loop.”
In Wirral, Conservative leader Jeff Green said the level of co-operation from the Culture Company had been “disappointing”.
Cllr Sue Brown, chairman of the Culture and Tourism Committee, said: “I have not been asked to attend any meetings or even been approached by the Culture Company, which is quite surprising.”
But the Labour leader of Wirral council Steve Foulkes had a more upbeat assessment.
He said: “There was a lull in planning and communication after the bid was initially won, but we are working very closely with the Culture Company and are completely happy with the communications we have received from chief executive Jason Harborow. He is very enthusiastic.”
Sefton’s council leader Tony Robertson was also quick to jump to the Culture Company’s defence. He said: “We are working hard to ensure we play as supportive a role as possible; after all, we will all benefit. Certainly Sefton has been very enthusiastic in terms of helping where we can and carrying out our own work for Capital of Culture.”
Cllr Jack Colbert, on the other hand, says he is disillusioned. “When you consider how important the support of the districts was for the Capital of Culture bid, it is disgraceful how little back we have had since then.”
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