Future of Merseyside Acme hangs in the balance
The future of Liverpool’s body to promote and develop creative business in the city, Merseyside Acme, is in question as the city council reviews the funding of the organisation.
Liverpool City Council is currently holding a service review into the operations of Merseyside Acme and Liverpool Culture Company along with a few other departments.
The review is expected to be completed before the end of February and may see the departments merged into one entity – but they are expected to continue in some form.
Merseyside Acme, which is headed up by director of operations Kevin McManus, celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, co-incidentally the same year that Liverpool took on the mantle of European City of Culture.
Councilor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council, told The Drum: ''Merseyside ACME has made a huge impact on the development of Liverpool's creative industry and cultural economy over the past decade. The first organisation of its kind in the UK, their can-do approach and expertise on issues as crucial as funding and networking has helped over 1,000 creative businesses, safeguarding 600 jobs, and generating over £40m turnover growth."
Bradley continued: "They have also been instrumental in shaping our cultural landscape and calendar be it in the creation of the new Independent Quarter in the city centre to the Liverpool Sound City Conference. The result is that Merseyside Acme have forever cemented the creative sector's profile and importance to the region, enabled the city to deliver the best ever European Capital of Culture and provide a platform for many others to build on.''
No one from Liverpool Acme was able to comment until after the review is completed.