Sacha Lord has responded to the Arts Council’s decision to withdraw a Covid support grant awarded to his former company, Primary Event Solutions, saying the process has taken a significant personal toll on him and his family.
The company, where Lord was a director, received £401,928 from the Culture Recovery Fund in 2021 to support staff wages and business stability during the pandemic. The Arts Council has now revoked the grant and will seek to recover the funds, following a renewed review earlier this year.
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While Lord acknowledged the decision, he pointed out that the Arts Council found no evidence that Primary Event Solutions deliberately misled authorities and said the toll it had taken on him and his family has been ‘significant’.
Lord expressed frustration over the prolonged investigation, calling it disproportionate and emotionally draining, especially for his family.
“The delays have taken a significant, personal toll on myself and my family,” he said, in a statement to Prolific North. “Furthermore, the invasion of privacy, particularly the targeted harassment of my wife during the final months of her pregnancy, has been deeply troubling.”
He added that the experience had reinforced the importance of focusing on his loved ones.
Lord, who co-founded Parklife and The Warehouse Project and has been Greater Manchester’s night-time economy adviser since 2018, suggested that the ordeal has prompted a reassessment of his future.
“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,” he said. “With heartfelt thanks to the Mayor and his team, I have decided to embrace a new chapter ahead—championing the sector on a national level with fresh focus and energy.”
Despite stepping away from some of his previous roles, Lord remains proud of his work in Manchester’s nightlife industry, highlighting achievements such as the introduction of 24-hour night buses and the city’s recognition as one of the world’s top destinations for nightlife.
SACHA LORD’S STATEMENT TO PROLIFIC NORTH IN FULL
“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.”
