Around 50 artists who remain unpaid from their involvement in last year's Manchester Pride are to collectively receive £15,000 from Manchester Council. The funding comes from a 'social action pot', meaning it will not come from taxpayers' money.
Last month, the council made clear it would not be able to use public funds to support the debt of a 'failed commercial organisation', referring to the voluntary liquidation of the company behind Manchester Pride last year.
Background to the liquidation
Manchester Pride Limited oversaw the large-scale LGBTQ+ celebration from its foundation in 2003 until October last year, when bosses said the event was no longer financially viable due to low ticket sales and rising costs. As a result, around £1.3 million still remains unpaid to artists, staff, suppliers and contractors who worked at the event.
Equity, the trade union for the performing arts and entertainment industries, said 50 of its members are collectively owed around £70,000, with individual amounts ranging from £150 to £5,000 each.
Funding and support secured
With the additional funding from the council just secured, as well as a public fundraiser to help support the impacted artists, around £27,500 of that money has now been found, equating to around 40% of the total sum owed. The union said it aims to distribute a percentage of the funding from the council to each of its affected members.
Karen Lockney, Equity North West Official, said: “This is great news for the many performers who were left high and dry last year when Manchester Pride went bust. Lots of people thought they’d never get anything for these gigs they worked over a year ago, but it just goes to show that you should never give up. Performers are so often the people who end up out of pocket, dismissed and treated badly, but there would literally be no Pride without performers.”
New Manchester Village Pride
This weekend's Manchester Village Pride was created following the voluntary liquidation of the original company. It operates as a Community Interest Company (CIC) and received the backing of Gay Village venues. Organisers had made a landmark agreement with Equity prior to the event, including 30-day payment periods for all artists and health and safety protections backstage.
Lockney added: “We’re grateful to Manchester City Council, and to everyone who donated to the crowdfunder, and we’re especially pleased that Manchester Village Pride went ahead this year on an Equity agreement.”
Cllr Garry Bridges, Leader designate of Manchester City Council, said: "We've been clear throughout that we sympathised with the plight of performers left unpaid when the former organisers of Pride went bust. We've been working with Equity to find a meaningful way to help those worst affected without using public money to meet the debts of a failed business and I'm pleased that we've been able to reach this constructive solution together."
Nathaniel Hall, an Equity member and creative producer, performer and activist, said: “It's encouraging to hear that Manchester City Council have found £15k to help creatives out of pocket from last year's collapse of Manchester Pride. Even though this won't cover all the losses, the gesture is really welcome. Equity members have been working for months to get this result. LGBTQ+ Equity members can be proud they have a union that has their backs when times are tough.”
This weekend, the new Manchester Village Pride was held in the Gay Village for the first time, featuring a parade with over 12,000 participants, performances, bar takeovers, a family fun day and the Candlelight Vigil. The CIC ensures that all profits go towards five LGBTQ+ organisations and charities.
