GED Gibbons, the man who ran Liverpool city centre’s business improvement district, was surrounded by friends and colleagues in the Cavern Club on Monday night for his leaving do.
He has launched his own consultancy business, setting his sights on work projects in the UK and in Spain.
The former chief operating officer of Liverpool City Central Business Improvement District (BID) was suspended and temporarily relieved of his duties last November.
Package
No reasons were given at the time for the suspension, with the city council using that comment much loathed by journalists: “We do not comment on personnel issues concerning individual members.”
As part of his departure package, Gibbons and the city council have signed a “confidentiality agreement” which means the story behind the suspension is unlikely to be revealed.
Today a tight-lipped council spokesman just merely repeated that much loathed comment, or rather non-comment.
Gibbons was town centre manager in St Helens before moving to Liverpool to head the BID team covering the 600 businesses and shops in the city centre.
Ged Gibbons and Jonny Walker during the famous busking row
It was in that role he had a run-in with buskers when a scheme was introduced to control street performers with some form of licensing scheme.
Busker Jonny Walker led a campaign against the proposal which was eventually dropped. The busking continues.
Liverpool currently has two BID areas, one covering the city centre and the other the business quarter. Gibbons became chief executive of the former in 2009, but as part of a shake-up a new Liverpool BID Company was launched to take overall control of both, with Bill Addy as chief executive of the whole operation.
Formerly a director of developers Iliad and David McLean, Addy was appointed just over a year ago. The hope is a third BID area with be in place next year covering Liverpool Waterfront. Gibbons became Chief Operating Officer, and following the sudden death of Paul Rice, he took over responsibility for the Commercial District BID.
Event management
Last summer Gibbons, who is in his mid-50s, headed the drive to win a further five years for the City Central BID following a ballot of businesses. BID teams have to re-ballot every five years to decide whether they should go or stay – with a legal requirement of all businesses within the boundaries required by law to pay a levy. In that most recent ballot less than half of the city centre businesses voted.
The concept of business improvement districts was imported from the US.
Gibbons’ consultancy will specialise in offering event management and advice to towns and cities looking to set up their own business improvement districts. He also expects to offer consultancy advice in Spain.
As he and the city council go their separate ways, the reasons for that suspension last November will remain a mystery.
