LIVERPOOL Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow will return to work today after more than eight weeks off sick.
Mr Harborow is expected back at the Culture Company’s offices in Millennium House this morn-ing, after his absence due to a long-term health condition.
In his absence marketing director Kris Donaldson had been acting as the chief executive.
Mr Harborow’s absence has fuelled speculation that he would not return to work but sources close to him always said he was determined to get back behind the helm of the company charged with delivering the city’s Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008.
Mr Harborow’s leadership skills were criticised by under-fire council leader Warren Bradley after the publication of the report into the cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival.
The £150,000-a-year chief execu-tive had been cleared of any wrongdoing in the council’s internal report.
Cllr Bradley had previously asked for Mr Harborow to be relieved of his duties in the aftermath of the cancellation of the festival in August.
Cllr Bradley is facing pressure to resign from the Labour opposition over a secret meeting with former events man-ager Lee Forde, partly blamed for the cancellation of Mathew Street in the council’s report.
Cllr Bradley originally denied the meeting took place but later admitted it – he strenuously denies any wrongdoing in inviting Mr Forde to his home.
Regeneration leader Cllr Mike Storey was also present at the Wavertree rendezvous.
His account of what happened after the event has come under scrutiny after council chief executive Colin Hilton appeared to contradict Cllr Bradley’s version of events.
On Friday night, Cllr Bradley told the Daily Post he had informed Mr Hilton and senior Culture Company staff in the “first couple of days after the meeting” about some “startling things” that had arisen in the Wavertree rendezvous on Sunday, November 18.
But in a leaked letter from Mr Hilton to Labour leader Cllr Joe Anderson, (which was obtained by the Daily Post), the chief executive said he was unaware of the meeting.
Mr Hilton said he was also unaware of any of the information about the meeting that Mr Forde had set out in a dossier, which has been sent to the Standards Board for England for investigation.
Cllr Bradley has since issued a statement to the Daily Post: “In response to Colin Hilton.
“The con-versations and emails/texts bet-ween Mr Forde and I, the first which was held at the Tall Ships weekend in June, were confidential; and being a person of honesty and integrity I upheld that. All issues that Mr Forde raised were under confidential cover, and dealt with in my name.
“The issues I have raised, following the chat in my house last week, as I have said, requested the CEX [chief executive] and senior manager from the Culture Company to report to me.”
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