Bradley set for meeting with PM

Aug 18 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

CITY council leader Warren Bradley has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ask Number 10 to help the council find a way of funding a £20m-plus gap in its culture year budget.

Mr Brown has offered to meet Cllr Bradley along with local government secretary Hazel Blears.

Last night Cllr Bradley remained confident the funding of the Capital of Culture programme will be resolved in time.

This is despite the revelation the government has refused to agree to a borrowing-package put forward by the city council.

That would have seen the council raising the money and then paying it back over five years through council tax.

Normally, that method of funding is only permitted for specific projects, rather than to pay for an events programme.

The council is eagerly awaiting a government response to a plea for similar packages from areas of England ravaged recently by floods.

The council has a number of fall-back schemes to raise money, such as mortgaging council property or selling a number of brownfield development sites.

City resources director Phil Halsall said another option was to dip into council cash reserves

But last night city council leader Warren Bradley said culture year will be funded in appropriate ways.