The Arts Council has withdrawn a £401,928 grant to Sacha Lord’s company, citing misleading information. This decision follows a lengthy review and raises questions about the application process.
Manchester: A grant of over £400,000 for Sacha Lord’s company has been pulled. The Arts Council says the application was ‘wrong or misleading’.
Mr. Lord, who used to advise the Greater Manchester mayor, resigned after this news. The Arts Council is now trying to get the money back.
They didn’t share specific findings against the company, but they did say the application broke a rule. This rule states that any information provided must be accurate.
Back in January 2021, when Covid was hitting hard, Mr. Lord’s company applied for help from the Culture Recovery Fund. They got the grant in March 2021, but questions started popping up later.
In December 2022, a complaint was made about the application. The Arts Council looked into it but initially found no misuse of funds.
However, they decided to reopen the investigation after more allegations came to light. Mr. Lord even threatened to sue a newsletter that reported on the issue, but later dropped that threat.
After an eight-month review, the Arts Council announced they would withdraw the grant. They didn’t explain what led to this decision, but Mr. Lord insisted there was no intention to mislead anyone.
Mayor Andy Burnham backed Mr. Lord, saying he believed there was no personal gain involved. But he also acknowledged that there were inaccuracies in the application.
Despite the grant, Mr. Lord’s company struggled and was wound up in September 2023. Now, the Arts Council wants to be listed as a creditor in the liquidation process.
Mr. Lord expressed his disappointment but also highlighted the positive impact of his work in the community. He’s stepping back from his role to focus on his family and new opportunities.
