Manchester City Council requested to return clear on Pride finance data

Dear Manchester City Council,   

Equity commerce union is representing members who’re owed cash by the businesses behind Manchester Pride (Manchester Pride Limited and Manchester Pride Events Limited) which have now gone into liquidation. We are conscious of Manchester City Council’s (MCC) help of Manchester Pride as an occasion which champions the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and brings in round £30million to the town’s financial system every year.    

Equity represents over 50 particular person staff who’re owed cash for his or her labour at Pride 2025. Whilst we recognise many companies and organisations are additionally out of pocket, we characterize freelance performers and creatives who’re owed quantities starting from £150 to £5,000. These are precarious staff, who deliver the power and magic to Pride. They are left unable to pay lease and payments, and anticipating them to take a monetary hit is just not equal to anticipating the identical of companies and full organisations. We are involved they had been put on this state of affairs when there have been credible rumours of economic difficulties, and we’re much more involved that there is no such thing as a help for them now, on the identical time they’re prone to be requested to participate in Pride 2026.   

In gentle of this, we ask what precisely did MCC know of the organisation’s monetary difficulties, earlier than Pride 2025 occurred? The liquidation discover reveals that casual conversations between the businesses behind Manchester Pride and the liquidators occurred way back to 30 April 2025. There can be a physique of anecdotal proof indicating that it was well-known monetary issues existed earlier than Pride 2025 went forward. It is deeply regarding that Pride 2025 was allowed to proceed, with so many individuals giving their labour, when there was no certainty they’d be paid for his or her work.   

Was MCC ever requested to supply monetary help to Manchester Pride within the context of this monetary issue?  

Did MCC ever doubt that the organisation working Manchester Pride would be capable to pay its money owed to performers and suppliers? If sure, had been discussions had inside MCC about stopping Pride going down?   

Furthermore, we ask what MCC’s plans are to help performers for work undertaken at Pride 2025? We are conscious of at the very least £70,000 owed to greater than 50 freelance performers and creatives who’re in touch with Equity, and these numbers are rising.  Media experiences present that a whole lot of 1000’s of kilos are owed to headline performers and enormous organisations. Whilst everybody deserves cost for work undertaken, it can be crucial that our members who’re owed smaller quantities are usually not sidelined. The liquidation course of is underway, and all collectors will likely be handled accordingly, however we name on MCC to handle the wants of native and fewer financially safe performers and creatives, who can not afford to attend for a prolonged liquidation course of which can not end in any vital dividend being paid.    

We have contacted the chief of the Council Bev Craig, and await a gathering. We have additionally submitted inquiries to MCC through a Freedom of Information request (FOI), alongside inquiries to the MCC Executive. It is important that the native authority communicates meaningfully with related commerce unions. 

 It is troublesome to see how plans for Manchester Pride 2026 can go forward with out pay for the performers who would be the beating coronary heart of that occasion. Equity additionally seeks assurances that performers’ and creatives’ voices will likely be heard when planning subsequent yr’s Pride, which we contend must be based mostly on unionised phrases and situations, be queer-led, inclusive, and Village-based, It also needs to not be centered on company pursuits, and ticket costs mustn’t exclude the area people.    

There could be no Pride with out performers. Yet performers are ready for cash owed, which they should pay lease, payments, healthcare, and different residing prices. If Manchester Pride is to be an occasion that really champions equality, staff’ rights should be an integral a part of this. 

I’d be grateful should you can reply to me with solutions to our questions throughout the subsequent 14 days.   

Yours,   

Karen Lockney, Equity North West Regional Official