Mathew St report: "It's a political cover-up"

Nov 16 2007

COUNCIL opposition leader Joe Anderson today dismissed the Mathew Street festival report as a “political cover-up”.

He demanded to see its first draft - written weeks ago but sent to the council’s legal department by council leader Warren Bradley for alleged “inaccuracies”.

Cllr Anderson said: “I could have predicted exactly what this report would say.

“It is a cover-up of the council’s political leadership and a clear attempt to scapegoat officers who are no longer there.

“It shows the chief executive at odds with the council leader over whether he was told the clear position about the festival before he went on holiday.

“The fact remains it was a political decision to cut the festival’s budget which resulted in the unfolding fiasco.

“Then the emphasis switches to blaming other people.

“The fact of the matter is that the report can only be given any credibility when we see the original version and compare it with this sanitised version.

“Not one political leader of the council took control of this situation. They allowed it to happen for months.”

But Cllr Bradley insisted it was up to the festival’s organisers to warn politicians of difficulties caused by the budget cut.

He said: “They did put forward the idea of a one-day festival. But that was unacceptable in the birthday year. A two-day event was required.

“As a council leader you cannot intricately know how much every part of every event will cost.

“You must put faith in officers to deliver events to a budget. That is what they did in previous years.

“The structure of the Culture Company has now changed and it is our determination to deliver a fantastic 2008.

“We must move on and rebuild our reputation for attracting and organising big events.”

Lee Forde, the event’s manager, who is currently suing the council for constructive dismissal, also believes he has been made a scapegoat.

He said: “I had no choice but to resign.

“I had spent months with my team trying to make Mathew Street work despite being given less money than ever before and with the entire city centre being dug up. But it was impossible.

“I was not prepared to put public safety at risk and sacrifice my own reputation because the Culture Company could not provide the money to make it safe.

“The events team was already struggling to cope with the extra outdoor events in the city’s birthday year but we were not given any extra people or sufficient resources to make it safe.

“Unfortunately, unlike some people, I have not had the opportunity to amend the council’s report during the last three months.

“But it now seems clear that the council is trying to use me as a scapegoat.

“I did the best within my power and within the reporting structure to make people aware - at the highest possible level - of the issues we were continually raising.

“To pretend otherwise is a travesty of the truth.”