Council reaffirms commitment to Gloucester’s events and marketing
After announcing the closure of Marketing Gloucester, 4 members of staff will be brought in to Gloucester City Council for 3 months on fixed term contracts. The council has also proposed a Liquidator to begin the insolvency process.
Gloucester City Council has reaffirmed its commitment to events and place marketing in the city by bringing in 4 members of Marketing Gloucester as the organisation goes in to liquidation.
The employees will work at Gloucester City Council as part of the authority’s commitment to support marketing of the city and to ensure that planned events in February and March happen as planned. The employees will work for the council on 3 months fixed term contracts.
The 4 members of staff will also run the Visit Gloucester website during the fixed term contract, which is a vital source of information for visitors and residents to see what there is to do in the city. This work on place marketing, involving collaboration with Visit England and other organisations, will give continuity going forward.
Events already organised for the rest of this financial year, including the Folk Festival and the Residents Weekend, will still go ahead and have been funded by partners including Gloucester BID.
An events programme for 2020 has also been agreed by cabinet, and will see firm favourites return for another year, such as Gloucester Goes Retro, Gloucester History Festival, Kings Jam and Gloucester Rooftop Festival. These will be organised and delivered by Gloucester City Council, with some funded and delivered in partnership with local events organisations.
Cllr Steve Morgan, cabinet member for culture and leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: “This is a difficult time and we want to support staff who were not responsible for the financial mismanagement of MGL at this time of uncertainty.
“We are committed to the wide range of events held in the city as a way of promoting what a fantastic place Gloucester is. The events bring in many visitors and help unite our communities to celebrate the city, and we are determined this will continue.
“It is great news that we are able to bring in 4 people with extensive experience of how to deliver our agreed events programme, and manage the Visit Gloucester website, while we continue to review how we will go forward.”
Following a meeting earlier in February, Jonathan Williams of firm Bishop Fleming has been proposed as Liquidator to begin investigating the scale of liabilities, Marketing Gloucester’s financial position and why it failed, and to inform its creditors.
Jonathan Williams said: “As Liquidator I will be realising the assets of the company in the interests of creditors. It is too early to say whether there will be a return to creditors.
“As part of the process for appointing me as Liquidator, the Board and I will be contacting all known creditors over the course of the next couple of weeks.”