Confusion as council leader asks for leaked confidential email on Culture chief be sent out to all 90 councillors

Dec 14 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

UNDER-FIRE council leader Warren Bradley requested a confidential email be circulated to all 90 Liverpool councillors in which he called for Capital of Culture chief executive Jason Harborow to be relieved of his duties.

Opposition councillors were last night baffled as to why the confidential request to council chief executive Colin Hilton was now being made public again, as it had already been in the press previously after being leaked in August.

Labour leader Joe Anderson said he could not understand why the email was being resurrected so close to the start of the city’s Capital of Culture year.

In an email sent from Cllr Bradley’s Blackberry at 5.39pm on Wednesday in the middle of a heated council meeting he asked Mr Hilton to circulate the email.

Cllr Bradley wrote: “Colin, Sorry to burden you, Cllr Anderson as we know leaked a confidential email to the press, he referred to it tonight, and clearly stated on numerous occasions that “I requested the CEX Culture be suspended”

“Can I request a copy of the email be distributed to the members of the Council, for clarity.”

Mr Hilton responded yesterday with: “As it was a confidential email of your authorship and it has already been leaked into the public domain and reported in the press I copy it at your request below.”

He included the original email, which included: “Having been mandated by the ruling group on the City Council, I am requesting that prior to your departure on leave today, that Jason Harborow is relieved of his duties as both CEX of Liverpool Culture Company, but also as ED CMS.

“This will remove the stress that Jason must be feeling at this time, whilst allowing for an unfettered independent investigation...

“I take absolutely no satisfaction in requesting this, but as Leader of the Council, I have a responsibility to be seen to be strong, whilst being fair and honest.

“I have taken, extremely unfairly, the brunt of the criticism, and am now requesting this decisive move prior to your leave.

“In conclusion, nothing short of my request will be deemed acceptable.

“Regards, Warren.”