‘Almost insulting’ if local authorities don’t give industry a voice
CITIES across Scotland should have their own representative advising the local authority on the night-time economy.
That was the opinion of Manchester’s night time economy advisor, Sacha Lord, who said it is now ‘almost insulting’ if a city doesn’t have a night-time industries advisor in place.
Lord, the co-founder of club night The Warehouse Project and the Parklife Festival, was appointed night-time economy advisor to Greater Manchester in 2018 by mayor Andy Burnham.
Speaking at the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) micro-summit event in Glasgow last month, Lord said the industry should have ‘a voice at the table’ in every UK city.
“On a UK level I think ‘why isn’t there someone representing the industry in every single city?’” said Lord. “If Glasgow are listening now and if Glasgow really do care about the recovery of the night-time economy and if Glasgow really do care about supporting the industry, the sector and the staff, I would say to them: appoint somebody to represent it today. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t linger on it. Do it now. Because we are suffering now probably worse than we were during the pandemic, when at least we had financial support. It’s a complete no-brainer to me.
“I think it’s almost insulting if there isn’t a representative. Because it’s the fifth-biggest industry. Why isn’t there a voice at the table?”
In addition to Greater Manchester, there are currently advisors in place in London and Bristol, with the West Midlands also looking to recruit someone to advise councils in that area.
In Scotland, only Aberdeen currently has an evening and night-time economy manager in place.
Lord’s comments echo statements from the NTIA itself. Last month chief executive Michael Kill called on cities across the UK “to work with us in creating these vitally important roles in our cities, building on the network of [night time economy] advisors across the country to support nightlife and rebuild our local and national economy”.
“The UK is held in such high regard for its cultural tapestry, from festivals to clubs, and deserves the commitment from regional politicians to lay the foundation for a successful future,” he said.
In a wide ranging panel discussion at the Glasgow event, Lord also called on operators to pay their staff ‘a real living wage’, guarantee working hours and make it easier for them to access support for their mental health.
“I don’t blame anybody for leaving the industry (during 2020) because they had to pay the bills, put food on the table, send their kids to school, pay the rent,” he said.
“I get that. But then a few months passed and people were still not coming back.
“I was speaking to operators and it was clear to me that the reason they weren’t coming back was, actually, as an industry, if we were to look at ourselves and say ‘were we treating our staff as well as we could’ve done pre-pandemic?’ I think eight or nine times out of ten the answer would probably be ‘no’.”
Other panel topics covered at the event included ‘making a comeback from COVID’, which highlighted challenges including a lack of late-night public transportation; and ‘challenges and solutions’, which covered issues such as the incoming Deposit Return Scheme and rising energy prices.
