Sacha Lord, the founder of the Warehouse Project and Parklife, has resigned from his position as Manchester’s night-time economy advisor following allegations of fraud. Lord’s firm, Primary Event Solutions, received a £401,928 grant as part of the Cultural Recovery Fund in 2021, a program aimed at providing aid to businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A probe was initiated following an investigation by Manchester Mill, which raised concerns about Primary Event Solution’s activities, with several former employees claiming the company solely operated as a security firm.
The BBC reported that an initial review by Arts Council England found no evidence of the misappropriation of funds. Arts Council England recently announced the withdrawal of the grant and confirmed its intention to recover the money, stating that “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.”
Commenting on his resignation, Lord stated that recent months had taken an emotional toll, which led him to reflect gradually and step down from his position in Greater Manchester. He asserted that Arts Council England had discovered no evidence that his firm had intentionally deceived the organisation. He did, however, acknowledge that there were a few unintended oversights that impacted the application’s clarity under the criteria, and he accepted that the grant status had been revised recognizing the company’s current liquidation status.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, expressed gratitude and credited Lord as a “champion” of the city’s nightlife and culture sectors. He continued by stating that Sacha had accepted that there were inaccuracies in the application, and Burnham believed Lord when he stated that he had no intention to defraud and did not personally gain from the grant. He also expressed confusion over why the Arts Council had concluded that the grant should be withdrawn.
Several grants awarded as a part of the Cultural Recovery Fund under review by Arts Council England have come to light recently, with negative consequences for the recipients. Birmingham promoter Sundissential was found to have been inactive for three years when Arts Council England granted a £223,822 grant, while a number of London venues that were forced to close as a result of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions were denied funding
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