Nightlife tsar to Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham quits after being told to pay back £400,000 Covid loan_Nhy
Andy Burnham‘s nightlife tsar for Greater Manchester has resigned after a company he was director of is ordered to pay back a £400,000 Covid loan.
Sacha Lord – who became Mr Burnham’s nighttime economy advisor in 2018 – had claimed the funds were used appropriately but acknowledged there had been ‘a small number of unintended oversights.’
Primary Event Solutions – the company Mr Lord was previously director of – received money from the Arts Council during the pandemic at a time when the organisation pumped billions into the hospitality sector to keep businesses afloat.
An initial investigation in 2022 into alleged fraud found no evidence of misuse of public money.
However, after fresh allegations were made about the extent of the company’s role in creative events a new investigation was launched in May last year.
Now the Arts Council have said they are ‘seeking to recover’ the money awarded to Primary Event Solutions – which was wound down in 2023.
In a statement the Arts Council told MailOnline: ‘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.’
Sacha Lord (pictured) had claimed the funds were used appropriately but acknowledged there had been ‘a small number of unintended oversights.’
Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. In 2018 Mr Lord became Mr Burnham’s first night tsar tasked with advising the Labour Mayor on how to manage the city’s vibrant and eclectic nightlife
In his resignation statement, Mr Lord claimed there had been ‘no finding against the company that it deliberately misled the Arts Council in this application.’
Following his public statement, the body confirmed to MailOnline that Mr Lord’s application breached a clause in the terms and conditions that read: ‘You have supplied us with any information that is wrong or misleading, either by mistake or because you were trying to mislead us.’
They added: ‘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.’
The controversy was uncovered in May 2024 after local news website the Manchester Mill published a piece revealing that the company had changed its name from Primary Security to Primary Event Solutions in October 2020.
This was three months before their successful application for a grant.
However despite the cash injection of public money the company went into liquidation in September 2023, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The Arts Council has now contacted liquidators and requested to be added as one of the firm’s creditors.
Primary Event Solutions – the company Mr Lord was previously director of – received money from the Arts Council during the pandemic at a time when the organisation pumped billions into the hospitality sector to keep businesses afloat
The Parklife music festival which Mr Lord is a co-founder of
Mr Lord had previously been hailed as one of Greater Manchester most successful entrepreneurs in recent years having co-founded some of the regions most successful live music events.
This includes Warehouse Project, which has been named as one of the world’s most favourite clubs, and the Parklife music festival – which was headlined by electronic music duo Disclosure last year.
In 2018 Mr Lord became Mr Burnham’s first night tsar tasked with advising the Labour Mayor on how to manage the city’s vibrant and eclectic nightlife.
In a statement, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham told MailOnline:
‘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.’
In a statement, Mr Burnham thanked Mr Lord for being ‘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’
In a statement, released following the Art Council’s decision , Mr Lord wrote: ‘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.’
