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The success of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture project ‘hung by a thread' at times last year, according to Whitehall's culture secretary. However, delivering his final assessment of Liverpool's year in the spotlight, which ended with a huge fireworks display in the city on 31 December, Andy Burnham declared the project eventually ‘exceeded all expectations'. Addressing an audience at the University of Liverpool, Mr Burnham, a native of the city, gave the first official hint that the tough economic climate last year threatened to undermine the Capital of Culture programme. ‘In typical fashion, success, at times, hung like a thread, inviting this city's sneering critics – never something it has lacked – to sharpen their knives. The Scouse wedding… could have gone either way,' he said. Mr Burnham claimed that problems were avoided because the project's local organisers worked closely with Whitehall officials and organisations such as the Arts Council to ensure events were fully funded and well planned. The culture secretary outlined five lessons from the project that British cities seeking to exploit their cultural heritage should learn – that a vibrant cultural base has economic benefits; cultural investment also has wider indirect benefits; culture can contribute to the delivery of world-class public services; creative skills will become more important to the UK economy; and that investment in a strong cultural base should be maintained across the UK. Burnham has invited writer and TV producer, Phil Redmond, to develop a ‘British City of Culture' prize which could be awarded to cities with a vibrant cultural base.

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WHITEHALL

Liverpool defies 'sneering' critics and delivers a Capital success

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