EU can feel the difference
Summer finally made a long-overdue appearance last week and
right on cue, it arrived just as the Golf and Tall Ships circuses
rode out of town.
The good weather did however coincide with the arrival in Liverpool
of 11 officials from the Hungarian Government.
I had the pleasure of chaperoning the group for three days,
introducing them to various officials at Government Office North
West, which has been charged with investing nearly £1 billion
of EU funding in the local economy since 2000.
Their packed agenda, which focussed on the serious business of
audit and financial control, was lightened with visits to examples
of EU funding in action on our doorstep - The Arena and Convention
Centre, Albert Dock, The Floral Pavilion and The Cruise Liner
Terminal for example.
Despite most of the group living amongst the imperial grandeur of
Budapest, their reaction to our city couldn't have been more
positive.
On arrival at 6.30pm on Wednesday evening the group asked to be
taken shopping - not a problem in the new Liverpool thanks to the
arrival of Liverpool One.
The shopping 'destination' greeted the group with an
enormous samba drum band, while around the corner an African dance
troop entertained hoards of other shoppers in evening sunshine. It
felt like a Capital of Culture.
Having shown many groups from across Eastern Europe around
Liverpool for over a decade, I've often felt a mixture of pride
and embarrassment about my city; walking around your home town with
visitors seems to sharpen your focus on its shortcomings - you
notice every piece of litter or graffiti. And every street drunk
seems to stagger your way. Not this time though.
From the moment they wandered out of their hotel the city smiled.
Economic storm clouds may be gathering across the country, but a
string of recent statistics show that they're not yet raining
on Liverpool's parade. Visitor numbers to Albert Dock are up by
25 per cent in the year to May. ACC Liverpool is set to inject
£160 million into the city's economy in its first year
alone. The Church Street branch of M&S has seen trade increase
by up to 65 per cent over the last quarter. And the Metquarter is
enjoying a 20 per cent increase in footfall in the past six months.
I could go on.
The Hungarians left Liverpool on Saturday morning convinced that EU
investment can make a difference - even in some of the hardest
economic 'nuts to crack' - They also acknowledged they had
a hard act to follow as their honey-pot city of Pécs
takes on the mantle of European capital of Culture 2010.
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