Capital of Culture chief to quit just days before 08 starts

Dec 18 2007 EXCLUSIVE by David Bartlett

crisis in culture

THE MAN charged with leading Liverpool’s Capital of Culture is set to agree to step down from his role, just days before the start of celebrations.

Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow’s lawyers are currently in the process of attempting to agree a severance package with the city council.

Council chief executive Colin Hilton will seek permission from the council’s Appointment and Disciplinary panel to broker the deal tomorrow.

Mr Harborow’s team have told the council that his position was made untenable by council leader Warren Bradley who has publically criticised the culture leader.

He earns £150,000 for his role at the Culture Company and executive director of Culture, Media, and Sport at the city council.

Last night a source told the Daily Post: “The council have taken legal advice from outside [the authority] and have been advised they should make a settlement with Jason Harborow.

“There is a meeting tomorrow and the chief executive is going to present a paper to the committee based on the legal advice.

“He is going to ask for permission to enter in to negotiations with Jason Harborow’s legal team.”

It is understood that Mr Harborow’s representatives have already made an offer of what they believe to be a fair deal.

Mr Harborow returned to work at Millenium House on Tuesday, December 4 after more than eight weeks off sick.

However he has not been back in the office since that day, although he has still be carrying out work for the council.

The problems between Cllr Bradley and Mr Harborow became known publiclly after the high-profile cancellation of the Mathew Street Fetival.

In August Cllr Bradley demanded, in email to Mr Hilton, that Mr Harborow be relieved of his duties.

In November after the release of the Mathew Street report, which cleared Mr Harborow of any wrongdoing, Cllr Bradley criticised the culture leader in an interview with the Daily Post.

When asked if Mr Harborow should resign he said: “There has got to be some responsibility shouldered by the senior management team.”

He also said that problems with Mathew Street had arisen because of lack of communication, and said that it was “up to the leadership in that team to deliver true leadership.”

When asked if he was referring to Mr Harborow, he said: “Absolutely. If there was a breakdown in communication, the chief executive of the Culture Company should have been aware.”

A city council spokesman: “We do not discuss publicly any private and confidential matters concerning individual employees.

“A routine meeting of the city council’s Appointments Panel is scheduled to meet tomorrow but as this deals with a wide range of personnel matters concerning individual employees, clearly, its proceedings must remain confidential.”