City council leader Warren Bradley has admitted that council taxpayers footed the bill for two free tickets he got to see Cirque du Soleil's Beatles 'Love' show in Las Vegas.
The tickets, which cost between $102-$165 each, were paid for by city council taxpayers while Fireman Bradley was on holiday in the States with his wife celebrating his 40th birthday.
A mystery, but public-spirited, Culture Company employee has blown the whistle on the jaunt in an anonymous, un-dated, note.
It reads:
"I feel I need to bring to your attention a very serious and probably criminal act by the Leader Mr Bradley. Given his recent press comments about honesty and success in driving out respected officers we can no longer stay silent.
"Last year he visited the USA for his “40th birthday” with his wife. Whilst there he visited Las Vegas. He contacted the Capital of Culture office and demanded we pay for 2 tickets for a show he wanted to see. We were told to pay for the tickets as the leader felt they were too expensive. There is a record of this payment.
"Why? This was a private holiday and nothing to do with 08. When is this corruption going to stop? The Chief Executive, Jason, has all the details. Please investigate this matter and stop this abuse."
So the Fireman has now admitted that he blagged two free tickets to see the show while on his jollies.
Labour councillors say that he has defended his 'freebie on the rates' by claiming that he was asked to go and see the show as part of his official council duties as Leader.
Presumably the Fireman maintains that forking out for free tickets is the least the city council can do when its conscientious Leader decides to break up his holiday by going to see a tedious show in the middle of the desert.
Whether he has any evidence to support this bizarre assertion that it was all part of his official duties we do not know. Is it minuted? Does he have any non Lib Dim witnesses?
Nor do we know how many other freebies the Fireman has blagged while Leader of the city council - or whether this freebie show was unique.
And if this was the only freebie he has blagged, why this one?
We do know, however, that former Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow had already twice travelled to Las Vegas to see the show and talk to Cirque du Soleil - once in the company of Clare McCogloose.
This was despite the fact that Cirque du Soleil had made it clear when first approached about bringing the show to Liverpool in 2008, that it could not physically be brought out of its home at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas.
Quite what is the exact justification for Councillor Bradley and his wife getting free tickets to see the show a third time, is anyone's guess.
The Fireman certainly did not need to see the 'Love' show to assure himself of Cirque Du Soleil's professionalism and expertise.
That is beyond question.
Nor did he need to see The Beatles show to decide if it was suitable material for a Liverpool audience in Capital of Culture year.
That too is beyond question.
Nor is a decision to try and bring 'Love' to Liverpool something that he should or would have taken personally.
If such a thing had been possible, the decision would have been taken either by the Harbarrowboy and/or the Culture Company Board.
If Bradley wanted to know anything more about the show, he could simply have Googled the reviews and web sites from the safety of his home in Wavertree.
Why didn't he?
We have no information that he had any official meetings with Cirque Du Soleil representatives while in Las Vegas.
Did he? With whom? When? Where?
If he did not have any meetings with Cirque du Soleil while on 'official council business', why ever not?
Did he inform the chief executive of the city council of his free tickets?
Have they been declared in the register of Member's Interests?
Did any Culture Company official arrange or timetable this show?
How has the cost of these two tickets been met, precisely, by the Culture Company?
Who approved it and why?
What paperwork exists?
Did the Fireman report his in-depth 'findings' about'Love' when he returned to Liverpool after seeing the show? Where is this minuted? Is there a report? If not, why not?
WE THINK WE SHOULD BE TOLD THE ANSWERS TO THESE AND MANY MORE QUESTIONS.
Because unless and until these questions are satisfactorily answered, the suspicion will be that Councillor Bradley abused his position as Leader of the Council to gain an advantage - contrary to the Local Government Code of Conduct.
Some of his Lib Dim colleagues will no doubt say that the $204-$330 total cost is neither here nor there. (Why didn't Bradley pay for them then? eds) Especially when the city council is now £60million in the red and going cap in hand to the Government to be bailed out.
But it does indicate an arrogant, seemingly routine abuse of council taxpayer's money by the Lib Dim Leader of the council.
We do not believe an internal council investigation, along the lines of CoverUp's discredited Mathew Street 'probe', will be sufficient to allay justifiable public concern. Only an independent enquiry will do.
We also believe that the District Auditor should be asked to investigate.
It may be that another official complaint needs to be made to the Standards Board to allow a further investigation.
We await developments with interest.
But one thing is clear, the old Beatles song was wrong:
If you are Lib Dem Leader in Liverpool, money can buy you 'Love.'
A mystery, but public-spirited, Culture Company employee has blown the whistle on the jaunt in an anonymous, un-dated, note.
It reads:
"I feel I need to bring to your attention a very serious and probably criminal act by the Leader Mr Bradley. Given his recent press comments about honesty and success in driving out respected officers we can no longer stay silent.
"Last year he visited the USA for his “40th birthday” with his wife. Whilst there he visited Las Vegas. He contacted the Capital of Culture office and demanded we pay for 2 tickets for a show he wanted to see. We were told to pay for the tickets as the leader felt they were too expensive. There is a record of this payment.
"Why? This was a private holiday and nothing to do with 08. When is this corruption going to stop? The Chief Executive, Jason, has all the details. Please investigate this matter and stop this abuse."
So the Fireman has now admitted that he blagged two free tickets to see the show while on his jollies.
Labour councillors say that he has defended his 'freebie on the rates' by claiming that he was asked to go and see the show as part of his official council duties as Leader.
Presumably the Fireman maintains that forking out for free tickets is the least the city council can do when its conscientious Leader decides to break up his holiday by going to see a tedious show in the middle of the desert.
Whether he has any evidence to support this bizarre assertion that it was all part of his official duties we do not know. Is it minuted? Does he have any non Lib Dim witnesses?
Nor do we know how many other freebies the Fireman has blagged while Leader of the city council - or whether this freebie show was unique.
And if this was the only freebie he has blagged, why this one?
We do know, however, that former Culture Company chief executive Jason Harborow had already twice travelled to Las Vegas to see the show and talk to Cirque du Soleil - once in the company of Clare McCogloose.
This was despite the fact that Cirque du Soleil had made it clear when first approached about bringing the show to Liverpool in 2008, that it could not physically be brought out of its home at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas.
Quite what is the exact justification for Councillor Bradley and his wife getting free tickets to see the show a third time, is anyone's guess.
The Fireman certainly did not need to see the 'Love' show to assure himself of Cirque Du Soleil's professionalism and expertise.
That is beyond question.
Nor did he need to see The Beatles show to decide if it was suitable material for a Liverpool audience in Capital of Culture year.
That too is beyond question.
Nor is a decision to try and bring 'Love' to Liverpool something that he should or would have taken personally.
If such a thing had been possible, the decision would have been taken either by the Harbarrowboy and/or the Culture Company Board.
If Bradley wanted to know anything more about the show, he could simply have Googled the reviews and web sites from the safety of his home in Wavertree.
Why didn't he?
We have no information that he had any official meetings with Cirque Du Soleil representatives while in Las Vegas.
Did he? With whom? When? Where?
If he did not have any meetings with Cirque du Soleil while on 'official council business', why ever not?
Did he inform the chief executive of the city council of his free tickets?
Have they been declared in the register of Member's Interests?
Did any Culture Company official arrange or timetable this show?
How has the cost of these two tickets been met, precisely, by the Culture Company?
Who approved it and why?
What paperwork exists?
Did the Fireman report his in-depth 'findings' about'Love' when he returned to Liverpool after seeing the show? Where is this minuted? Is there a report? If not, why not?
WE THINK WE SHOULD BE TOLD THE ANSWERS TO THESE AND MANY MORE QUESTIONS.
Because unless and until these questions are satisfactorily answered, the suspicion will be that Councillor Bradley abused his position as Leader of the Council to gain an advantage - contrary to the Local Government Code of Conduct.
Some of his Lib Dim colleagues will no doubt say that the $204-$330 total cost is neither here nor there. (Why didn't Bradley pay for them then? eds) Especially when the city council is now £60million in the red and going cap in hand to the Government to be bailed out.
But it does indicate an arrogant, seemingly routine abuse of council taxpayer's money by the Lib Dim Leader of the council.
We do not believe an internal council investigation, along the lines of CoverUp's discredited Mathew Street 'probe', will be sufficient to allay justifiable public concern. Only an independent enquiry will do.
We also believe that the District Auditor should be asked to investigate.
It may be that another official complaint needs to be made to the Standards Board to allow a further investigation.
We await developments with interest.
But one thing is clear, the old Beatles song was wrong:
If you are Lib Dem Leader in Liverpool, money can buy you 'Love.'
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