Mathew Street: Rescue package unveiled by councillors

Aug 3 2007 EXCLUSIVE BY LARRY NEILD

Mathew Street

The world-famous Mathew Street Festival could still go-ahead following a meeting today of Liverpool City Council’s executive board.

Veteran councillor Flo Clucas won unanimous support for a rescue package that will see the festival seized from the grip of the Liverpool Culture Company and handled instead by a hand-picked team under the control of the city council.

It is likely to be headed by council events organiser Judith Feather, as exclusively predicted in today’s Daily Post.

Councillors held a dawn meeting in advance of the executive board at the town hall and few of the senior politicians could not disguise their fury at the shock decision announced yesterday that the crowd-pulling exercise had to be scrapped on health and safety grounds.

Council leader Warren Bradley, currently away on holiday, has already been briefed about the rescue plan, and will immediately hold talks when he returns this weekend.

Cllr Clucas spoke about the blow to the city in its 800th birthday year, which is also the 40th anniversary of the release of the Sgt Pepper’s album and the 50th anniversary of the first meeting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Although the rules of the executive board prevent a definitive decision being made Cllr Clucas proposed that the city council should take responsibility for the Mathew Street festival from the council-owned Culture Company, and it should appoint its own officers to run the event and make sure that the Mathew Street Festival takes place. She wants a full report to be presented to an emergency meeting of the executive board next week. Cllr Clucas also wants a conclusive statement that the festival will take place in 2008.

Cllr Paul Clein told his board colleagues: “I am not upset I am absolutely bloody furious. heads should roll and roll at the highest level.”

Intensive talks are now taking place to rescue the event.

Cllr Dave Antrobus who chaired today’s meeting stressed that many of the privately organised gigs and events linked to the Beatles weekend over the bank holiday will still be going ahead.