Warren Bradley: I never thought of resigning over Mathew Street

Nov 17 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

Council Leader Warren Bradley with Jason Harborow in the background _320

UNDER-FIRE Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley last night said he had never considered resigning over the Mathew Street festival fiasco.

The Lib-Dem leader controversially escaped criticism in yesterday’s report into the cancella-tion of this year’s outdoor event.

But the document did reveal significant discrepancies emerging between his account of what he knew of the Mathew Street problems and that of council chief executive Colin Hilton.

An emotional Cllr Bradley yesterday criticised the leadership of Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow, who also escaped censure in the report.

Criticising his senior officer, Cllr Bradley said: “You put your trust in officers, you pay officers a high salary and you put trust in them to deliver.”

That would appear to raise fresh questions on the future of Mr Harborow, the man due to lead Liverpool into its 2008 celebrations in just six weeks’ time.

He is currently on sick leave and is due to return to work on Monday. Opposition Labour leader Joe Anderson last night condemned the report as a “a cop-out  and  a whitewash”.

He said Cllr Bradley’s latest attack on Mr Harborow showed the wound between the pair was yet to heal, which was worrying so close to the start of the city’s showcase year.

Cllr Anderson  called for both Cllr Bradley and Cllr Mike Storey, executive member for regeneration, to resign over the  fiasco.

The Daily Post exclusively revealed yesterday how two senior officials, Lee Forde and Chris Green, would bear the brunt of blame in the report.

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