Night time czar steps down amid Arts Council funding scandal

Sacha Lord last night (Tuesday 28 January) tendered his resignation to Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, stepping down from his role as Night Time Economy Advisor.

Burnham accepted Lord’s resignation ‘with regret’, leaving the former co-owner of Warehouse Project, Parklife and self-styled champion of hospitality workers without a prominent role in the city’s nightlife for the first time since starting Warehouse Project back in 2006.

This news follows the conclusion of an investigation by Arts Council England into a company co-owned by Lord, Primary Event Solutions, whose application for the council’s Culture Recovery Fund back in 2021 was reported to have been misleading, per a series of stories published in local newsletter The Mill. 

The Arts Council England investigation reached the conclusion to recover the £401,928 awarded to Primary Events Solution back in March 2021. 

An Arts Council England spokesperson said: “We take our role as custodians of public money very seriously and have processes in place to assess applications. If concerns are raised to us about a grant application or award, we investigate and take the appropriate action.  

“Following a thorough review of the application that Primary Event Solutions submitted to the Culture Recovery Fund in 2021, our decision is to withdraw the grant that was awarded and we are seeking to recover this money.

"Following Sacha Lord's public statement, we can now confirm that after our thorough review, we found that the following clause from the grant’s terms and conditions was breached: 8.3.8 You have supplied us with any information that is wrong or misleading, either by mistake or because you were trying to mislead us.

"We are not required by this clause to determine whether the misleading information was supplied deliberately. However, we have found that the applicant, Primary Event Solutions, breached this condition, whether by mistake or otherwise, leading us to withdraw the grant."

2025 01 29 Sacha Lord Resigns From Gmca Body Pic 1
Lord and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham Image: @sacha_lord / Instagram

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “Over the past seven years, as our Night-Time Economy Advisor, Sacha has been a brilliant and vocal champion for Greater Manchester’s night-time economy and cultural sectors during one of the industry’s most difficult periods in living memory. He has put a huge amount of time and energy into his work as Mayoral Advisor, supporting our councils and many local businesses. He has done all of this completely free and out of his own pocket, never taking or receiving any payment for this work.   

“Sacha has accepted there were inaccuracies in a grant application, and I believe him when he says there was no intention to mislead and that he made no personal gain from the grant. Given that the Arts Council’s Counter Fraud team previously found no misuse of public money, it is not clear to me why the Arts Council has now reached this decision.  

“Sacha has gradually stepped back from his role in recent months. Last night, he stepped down as Mayoral Advisor. With regret, I accepted his resignation and respect his decision. We value his commitment to Greater Manchester and the massive contribution he has made.”

2025 01 29 Sacha Lord Resigns From Gmca
Sacha Lord Image: @sacha_lord / Instagram

Sacha Lord said: "While we acknowledge the change in grant status, we appreciate that Arts Council England have found that there is no finding against the company that it deliberately misled the Arts Council in this application.  

"The company and its former directors have continued to work closely with Arts Council England to evidence that grant funds were used appropriately to support staff wages and company stability during the pandemic. United We Stream, for example, was a hugely successful event which raised £583,000 to support cultural organisations, businesses and individuals affected by lockdown. Supporting such businesses has always been my only mission in my various, unpaid roles.

"However, given the company's current status in liquidation, and recognising that there are a small number of unintended oversights which have impacted the application's clarity under the criteria, we accept that the grant status has been updated.

"That said, I remain concerned over inconsistencies and a lack of proportionality in the handling of this matter. Not only has this application been reviewed twice previously by the organisation's Counter Fraud team, which, after examining the financial evidence and invoicing, concluded on both occasions that it was compliant with grant guidance, but the length of time taken to bring the matter to a close raises cause for concern and these delays have taken a significant, personal toll on myself and my family.

"Furthermore, the invasion of privacy, particularly the targeted harassment of my wife during the final months of her pregnancy, has been deeply troubling and has only reinforced the importance of protecting and spending more time with my loved ones during this period of my life as a new father.

"I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a city-region - earning recognition as the 'night-time capital of the UK', ranking eighth in the World's Best Cities for Nightlife, surpassing global destinations like Budapest and Buenos Aires, and successfully introducing initiatives which will transform our nightlife for the better, such as 24-hour night buses.

"However, the emotional toll and experience over recent months has given me the opportunity to reflect and gradually step back from my role in Greater Manchester. With heartfelt thanks to the mayor and his team, I have decided to continue in this direction and embrace a new chapter ahead - championing the sector on a national level with fresh focus and energy."

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