Capital of Culture update: The year's highlight approaches

The Standards Board for England inquiry into the tussle between Liverpool City Council's Warren Bradley and Mike Storey, and Jason Harborow of the Culture Company has been completed. The central figures have been delivered a draft of the findings; oddly, the Standards Board thinks they should get a chance to comment on them before the people who have paid their wages do. Still, not long now before we should all find out what really happened, or an official approximation thereof.

Capital of Culture Update: Liverpool pays up

A couple of days ago, an anguished Paul Clein, Lib Dem city councilor from Liverpool, wrote the Guardian to defend his team's record:

John Healey's claim that Liverpool city council tops the league of inefficient councils is blatantly partisan and contradicted by the evidence.

Here's some blatantly partisan evidence for you to consider. The doughty council tax payers of the city are having their pockets picked to find a quarter of a million to pay off Jason 'Beg, Steal or' Harborow, former head of the Liverpool Culture Company. Harborow fell out with council leader - we're using leader in an ironic sense here - Warren Bradley after the mismanagement of the Mathew Street Festival came to light earlier in the year.

It's not entirely clear if the quarter of a million quid will come from the £20m hole in the Capital of Culture finanaces, or if it will be added to the size of that hole.