Redmond to take Culture hot-seat

Sep 12 2007 By Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post City Editor

BROOKSIDE creator Phil Redmond was last night chosen to spearhead delivery of Liverpool's ambitious 08 cultural programme.

The board running the company behind Liverpool's showpiece Capital of Culture year met yesterday and agreed that most of its members would stand down, leaving a streamlined body with the power to fast-track decisions.

University of Liverpool vice chancellor Drummond Bone stood down as chairman, but will stay on as a member of the new-look board of just five or six members.

It will be chaired by Bryan Gray, chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, with city council leader Warren Bradley also on the new board.

The decision was made at what turned out to be the final meeting of the 14-member Liverpool Culture Company Board, itself a smaller version of the original 25- member board.

The members of the new board told the Daily Post last night that the unanimous decision was not linked to the recent shambles over the Mathew Street Festival, although privately it was acknowledged by some that the issue had a significant bearing on the timing of the changes.

Bryan Gray said it was a natural progression to the next stage following the signing off of the year-long cultural programme for 2008 when Liverpool becomes European Capital of Culture.

Mr Redmond, founder of Mersey Television, makers of Hollyoaks and Grange Hill, will as deputy chairman, be responsible for the entire cultural programme.

One of his key roles will be to ensure there is no repeat of the Mathew Street fiasco that led to worldwide adverse publicity for the city.

Cllr Bradley will also be a deputy chairman of the new board, taking charge of community issues and acting as the main link to the city's politicians.

Mr Gray will be responsible for the finance side of the year-long festival. Prof Bone said he had always intended to stand down as chairman of the board, once the 08 programme had been finalised.

"At today's meeting we signed off the programme, and now we go to the next stage of delivery of that programme. We are announcing the programme at the end of September. I believe we need a different strategy from now on. Now that the programme is agreed we need a board that can react quickly and be focused on the delivery of the programme," he said.

Prof Bone added that Mathew Street had "exercised minds" that there were issues between the board and the culture company.

The Liverpool Culture Company, currently being run by chief executive Jason Harborow, will continue. Currently the city council's chief executive, Colin Hilton, is conducting an investigation into why Mathew Street went wrong. That investigation is still ongoing.

Mr Gray, Mr Redmond and Cllr Bradley will meet in the next few days to hand pick another board member from the now disbanded board.

Cllr Bradley said: "The board met and agreed a programme that will deliver the most successful Capital of Culture programme ever seen, much bigger than the programme in Glasgow a few years ago. We will have Bryan dealing with the finance side, Phil looking after the cultural programme and I will be the conduit between the board and the communities of Liverpool.

"There is full support for what we have decided, and we will deliver something quite unique. People will be bowled over by what we have planned for our culture year. It is time to look forward and not harp on about what has happened in the past. The new board will be a springboard for 2008. We have three aims - agree the programme, deliver it and have a legacy to take us beyond '08."

Mr Redmond said existing board members not serving on the smaller board were likely to be used as advisers because of their skills and expertise.

"The key point is the signing off of the '08 programme. The existing board system was bureaucratic and slow and it is time to move forward with a new slimmer board. It will mean I can pick up a telephone and we can make instant decisions rather than waiting for board meetings.

"We will be looking at '09, 10 and beyond, pulling together to create a cultural programme for our city. I want to see us involving communities such as Norris Green, Dovecot and Croxteth."

Mr Gray said: "Our small group is going to make sure that Capital of Culture will deliver its promises."

Key board members are expected to meet several times a week to sign off projects linked to culture year. Mr Redmond likened the new-look board to the new BBC Trust Board which overseas the broadcasting corporation.

Key figures on the slimmed-down Culture board

PHIL REDMOND created the ground-breaking children’s TV drama Grange Hill for the BBC, and the Channel 4 soap Brookside.

Born in 1949, he trained as a quantity surveyor, but gave this up to concentrate on a TV career.

He was made a CBE in 2004.

BRYAN GRAY has been chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) since April 2002. He was chief executive and deputy chairman of Baxi Group, and is now chairman of Baxi TechnologiesHe previously worked for ICI for almost 20 years, and was made an MBE in 2001.BRYAN GRAY has been chairman of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) since April 2002. He was chief executive and deputy chairman of Baxi Group, and is now chairman of Baxi Technologies

He previously worked for ICI for almost 20 years, and was made an MBE in 2001.