There was some big news for the Manchester night life scene (and the northern nightlife scene in general) last week when Sacha Lord was named the new night tsar of Manchester by Andy Burnham.
In a move to follow other cities like London, Amsterdam and Berlin, Lord will look to mould Manchester’s night time offering, championing the causes of bars, nightclubs, music venues and other night time industries.
His role will be to ensure nightlife works throughout all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.
Having gained a big name in the industry through his tenure as the head of Parklife and Warehouse Project, Lord has more recently been a key member of the NTIA board.
His’s initial remit will be to identify how the current Manchester nightlife can be improved, including making the city safer and improving late night transport.
The new Manchester ‘night Tsar’ (as some have labelled the role) will work together with panels across the region, and also make the most of his connections through the NTIA and his nightclub contacts.
The night time industry is one of UK’s biggest sectors, employing more than 8% of the working population.
He has already made his first big statement in his new role, supporting a call for Manchester‘s clubs to introduce drug-testing labs to clubs and festivals. He said he saw ‘no downside’ to the proposal.