Liverpool just wouldn't be Liverpool without a great deal of moaning and muttering ahead of an outstanding final performance. As Lisa Miles discovers, the Capital of Culture show will most definitely go on
Liverpool's preparations for its year in the cultural spotlight have been plagued by words such as "fiasco", "resignation" and "uncertainty". The wiser commentators have avoided adding their voices to the cynics' chorus, preferring instead to watch and wait with bated breath.
The fact is, the city's hopes and plans for European Capital of Culture 2008 were always greater than any other city which has achieved the title in previous years and Liverpool is one of the most successful in attracting commercial sponsorship, including the latest official partner to sign up, Virgin Trains.
The higher you aim, the tougher the climb and the harder you fall when your laudable ambitions cannot quite be met.
The negative press has centred around three main areas: personnel, funding and the much-publicised "Mathew Street fiasco". For those who like to keep up with the Liverpool soap opera, here's a summary of the latest events: Culture Company operations director Chris Green has stepped down to take up a private sector job, and chief executive Jason Harborow has taken sick leave. Meanwhile, there's a lot of head scratching going on into how to find an extra £320m for Liverpool's biggest ever party; and as Insider went to press the results of an inquiry were pending into why outdoor events for this year's Mathew Street Festival were cancelled at the last minute.
Liverpool life just wouldn't be the same without a great deal of hand-wringing, resignation calling and general blustering. "In Liverpool the debating society is always out on the pavement," says Phil Redmond, founder of MerseyTV, recently appointed deputy chairman of the Culture Company board.
"What the city council does is all down to local politics. There's a clear division between the Culture Company, which is charged with delivery of the cultural festival, and the council, which is charged with funding and servicing that festival. Whatever is going on in the council, whether they're arguing about who is paying for what or there are any investigations going on, that's all internal and nothing to do with the Culture Company."
Council chief executive Colin Hilton is working hard behind the scenes to capitalise on the authority's assets, such as its buildings, to raise funds. Prime Minister Gordon Brown for one seems reluctant to dig deep to help out.
"Speak to the private sector and ask how they raise funds against assets - everyone in the private sector says this is the way to do it," says council leader Warren Bradley. "It won't affect front-line services and we want to deliver what we said we would for Capital of Culture."
Many a Liverpudlian is sleeping a little sounder knowing that Redmond is part of a new winning team - his Scouse wit, intelligence and humour engender confidence. In an attempt to regain control of the great flailing culture monster that is 2008, the Culture Company board realised it was time to streamline the team, urged on by Redmond and BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Phillips.
"I joined the board at the back end of 2006 to see if I could help," says Redmond. "Roger and I made the point that the organisation was too overcomplicated and cumbersome to deliver the cultural side of the programme. There was a confusion of purpose. It was the right decision to focus on the regeneration and tourism agenda, but by the time we got into 2007 they should have been separated out so you could focus on the cultural programme. As we went through the year that became obvious."
In September 2007 a new board was announced with the top trio of: Northwest Regional Development Agency chairman Bryan Gray at the helm with responsibility for finance and governance; Bradley as deputy chairman responsible for community relations; and Redmond looking after marketing and creative direction.
The upset surrounding the Mathew Street Festival had been the final straw, with the general consensus being that the failings were down to bad planning and someone not listening to good advice. It was time to take control before the subsequent internal investigations dampened spirits in the final run-up to 2008.
"The leader of the council is here to give an overview and strategic direction, says Bradley. "Sometimes you have to be very hands on. That's what I've tried to do since August and the staff appreciate that. Bradley now has weekly meetings with the events team to go over the details of every event, particularly the outdoor ones. "I know exactly what is going on now. The introduction of Phil Redmond and Bryan Gray has been very useful."
Finally, the sense of accountability and responsibility is palpable, accompanied by a distinct sense of realism. The days of overpromising seem long gone. "I always feel a sense of accountability in everything I do, but we can only now play the hand we've already been dealt," says Redmond. "It is too late for major restructuring. I'm concentrating on making the best out of what we've got, to see if any elements like the Irish heritage or Liverpool's role in human rights are missing and then see how we can see more public participation in the creation of culture."
The board make it clear that the Culture Company is in charge of the artistic side, while the council is tasked with running the show. Each event is organised by an organiser from local authority staff, and employees from across the council are involved to cover elements such as highways, street cleaning, health and safety and signage. Most of the outdoor events are administered and delivered by the local authority in partnership with the Culture Company.
On 27 September, Liverpool revealed details of more events, festivals, commissions, collaborations and projects than many onlookers had dared dream of. For a few days the cynics were held at bay by the sheer scale of the 2008 plans and the news that Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr weren't going to let down their city after all.
The team also now seem committed to allowing those previously frustrated from engaging with the Culture Company to bring their ideas forward. In mid September it launched Cultural Clearing, a project to connect community groups, artists and anyone with a good idea to cash donors.
"Everybody who had frustrations with Capital of Culture in the past can come back for another try," Redmond says. "We will match good ideas with people who can support it. Boodles want to be involved, as do Grant Thornton, Yorkshire Bank and the Bluecoat centre. And the Metropolitan Cathedral has offered its piazza as an exhibition space. By doing that we can capture all the enthusiasm and make sure we haven't missed anything amazing. Cultural Clearing will be open until the end of October and everybody will get a response.
"It's an opportunity for businesses to say: "this is what we'd like to see and sponsor', rather than people with strange haircuts saying: "give us all your cash.'"
If you are stuck for conversation in Liverpool and have covered funding, feuds and fiascos, there is one subject that is still sure to get people going: The Big Dig. This actually encompasses a wide range of vital work and regeneration without which Liverpool would not stand a chance of competing on the world stage.
"People see roadworks and assume it something to do with the regeneration," says Bradley. "But actually United Utilities are putting new water courses in because they've not been renewed for over 30 years. They will work in the suburban core next year so that the city centre is not under pressure. Most of the City Centre Movement Strategy and public realm work will be completed. Logistically any works by utility companies that can be put off will be, until 2009, barring any calamities."
Key stakeholders involved in regeneration and infrastructure in the city have been meeting on a weekly basis to make sure key issues are being addressed. Led by Jim Gill, chief executive of soon-to-be-merged urban regeneration company Liverpool Vision, the group includes Merseytravel, ACC Liverpool, hoteliers, the police, council members and employees and the Culture Company.
They have been identifying issues such as circular bus routes in the city centre, changes to signposting once new retail mecca Liverpool One opens, and signage from the end of the motorways.
But ongoing development during 2008 is unavoidable. A plan has been unveiled for dressing the city, including wrapping so-called grot spots and hanging consistent Capital of Culture artwork from cranes and scaffolding. The council has around £37m to spend on the Look of the City programme, which includes Edge Lane and Lime Street.
In the first half of the year the Pier Head and Mann Island will still be building sites, while work will continue on The Port of Liverpool building and the St Paul's Square development. Lime Street station's immediate future is unclear as the city strives to achieve vacant possession of a parade of shops.
"Dressing is about addressing the grot spots and about how the building sites present themselves," says Gill. "You can make them look better if you wrap them or use hoarding but you can also use that to get a message across. There are two messages: a consistent Capital of Culture message and a message about the way in which the city's changing for the better so you can see the development activity as a positive.
"We plan wherever possible to get developers to use the culture artwork. The fact that it's a building site is part of the culture and changing nature of the city. What '08 will see is two very significant openings, which will change the economy and physical geography of the city: Liverpool One and ACC Liverpool."
The streamlined Culture board is ready, the council is ready and the developers are ready, but are businesses ready to reap the oft-promised rewards of 2008? The 08businessconnect business club has 4,000 individual members, and over £32m of business has so far been achieved on its website trading floor, a sign that companies are increasingly alert to the opportunities out there.
One business that is determined to make the most of 2008 is law firm Hill Dickinson, which was one of the first sponsors to sign up as an official partner. Senior partner Tony Wilson is encouraging businesses to have trust in the culture team.
"I have every confidence that 2008 will be a success," he says. "This event does not have a set model as such; we all have a part to play in shaping this model, engaging communities and inspiring nationwide interest. It was the enthusiasm of the people in the city that helped win this accolade and it will be the people that make it a success.
"Surely the commitment by all commercial backers is a clear indication that the event is embracing cities and people outside the immediate Liverpool area. Businesses nationwide are recognising the plethora of opportunities that this showcase has and will continue to have."