Nightlife boss's firm must return £400k Covid grant

A £400,000 grant given to an events company co-owned by Greater Manchester's nighttime economy adviser has been pulled following a review, as Sacha Lord announced he has decided to leave the role.

Arts Council England said it was seeking to recover the funds awarded to Primary Event Solutions during the coronavirus pandemic following analysis of how the cash was spent.

Mr Lord, who was appointed to advise mayor Andy Burnham, said the funds were used appropriately but there had been "a small number of unintended oversights".

The Parklife festival founder used the same statement to confirm he was standing down, saying recent months had taken an "emotional toll" on him and his family.

Mr Lord, who also helped launch the Warehouse Project dance music events, said he was "concerned over inconsistencies and a lack of proportionality" in how the review was handled.

"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," he said.

He said the effect on his family life had been "deeply troubling" and had "only reinforced the importance of protecting and spending more time with my loved ones during this period of my life as a new father".

He continued: "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."

Mr Burnham confirmed he had accepted his adviser's resignation and praised him as a "brilliant and vocal champion" who had supported the city in the role "out of his own pocket".

"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," he said.

Mr Lord owned a minority share in Primary Event Solutions, which is now in liquidation.

It was given £401,928 the Arts Council-administered Culture Recovery Fund in 2021, as scheme offering grants from £50,000 up to a maximum of £3m to help the heritage and culture sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

An initial arts council probe in 2022 into alleged fraud over the firm's bid found no evidence no misuse of public money.

But additional checks began in May 2024 after the body received new information about the bid.

It came as news website The Mill raised questions about the extent of the company's role in creative events, which the firm "vehemently" rejected.

"We take our role as custodians of public money very seriously" the Arts Council said following the decision to withdraw the grant.

"If concerns are raised to us about a grant application or award, we investigate and take the appropriate action."

Mr Lord said the firm had worked closely with the Arts Council to show fund had been used "appropriately to support staff wages and company stability during the pandemic".

He said the funds also supported a streaming event that raised £583,000 for local cultural organisations, businesses and individuals affected by lockdown.

Mr 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."