AND
THE GRAVY TRAIN KEEPS RUNNING
A LIVERPOOL regeneration project has spent £95,000 over the past two years
but has failed to create a single permanent job.
The agency, which was until his retirement in January, headed by a Liberal
Democrat city councillor, Frank O'Donohue, was said to supply staff and
advice to other businesses and has received a further £200,000 since 1995
under the Community Based Economic Development scheme.
A report recently released by Liverpool City Council revealed that VANT
EDT failed to produce business or training plans and failed to provide
company accounts. In theory VANT EDT was supposed to be a community organization
and received public money to support social businesses. In reality it
provided temporary workers for CCTV firm VANT Vision, a separate limited
company, and Lee Valley Millennium Centre, which received money from the
Millennium Commission.
Coun O'Donohue who has been involved with both organizations, which are
within the Netherley and Valley Single Regeneration Budget area, said
'I am not prepared to go into any problems there may have been'. The aim
of VANT EDT he said was 'a community based organization whose function
was to deliver economic development."
When asked how this was achieved he replied: "You are fishing and I am
not prepared to broaden your knowledge."
A council spokesman said the intention now was to merge VANT, which has
a temporary manager, with SMART, a charitable trust delivering economic
support in the south Liverpool area.
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