Parklife founder resigns from burnham role after investigation

SACHA LORD HAS STEPPED BACK FROM HIS ADVISORY ROLE FOR ANDY BURNHAM ETHAN DAVIES, DAN HAYGARTH Liverpool Daily Post Editor and Regeneration Reporter and JOSEPH TIMAN 14:13, 29 Jan 2025 Andy

Burnham has accepted the resignation of Parklife Festival founder Sacha Lord as his night-time economy advisor. Mr Burnham, the Merseyside-born Mayor of Greater Manchester, said in a

statement he accepted Mr Lord’s decision to step down "with regret". The decision comes in the wake of the Arts Council’s withdrawal of a £401,000 grant awarded to company partly

owned by Mr Lord today (January 29). Mr Lord had been subject to an Arts Council investigation over the Covid-19 Culture Recovery Fund grant given to Primary Event Solutions, which he owned

30% of before it entered liquidation, reports the Manchester Evening News. A spokesperson said: “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 this, the government-funded cultural development

agency and charity issued a statement saying: “In light of new information that has been directly brought to our attention this week, we will be conducting additional checks on the

application from Primary Event Solutions.” Mr Lord responded by saying he "accepts that the grant status has been updated". The 53-year-old was named the mayor’s night-time economy

adviser in 2018. However, the Warehouse Project and Parklife festival founder has now resigned from his post. He said: "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." Article continues below Mr Burnham has praised Mr Lord’s work in the role, which

he held since 2018. He 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." SACHA LORD'S STATEMENT IN FULL The statement from Mr Lord in full 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. Article continues below "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."