A match day parking company set up to benefit the north Liverpool community granted rent free space to a Salford drag club.
The Beautiful Ideas Company (BICo) was set up to raise money from match day parking facilities near Anfield and Goodison. The money was then to be invested in local good causes.
Earlier this month city mayor Joanne Anderson lodged a number of issues with (BICo) following the publication of three internal audit reports. The city's standards and ethics committee is set consider the issues at a public meeting.
READ MORE: Controversial match day parking firm sent money to Salford
The ECHO previously reported that BICo granted loans to two organisations based in Salford. A presentation by BICo to Liverpool Council in 2018 stated that they made an award of £20,000 to one Salford based organisation, which was not named.
We can now reveal that BICo granted rent free space to a drag club in Salford. A document on the city's council's website has revealed that the rent free space was given to Drag Lab, a cross dressing themed club based in Islington Mill. The document formed part of an employment and skills select committee hearing on April 4 2018.
Information on the Islington Mill website states: "Drag Lab Manchester is a space where new and experienced drag performers of all ages and genders can develop new material and learn from one another. It is the home of Manchester and Salford’s premiere drag family…The family Gorgeous.
"In addition to being a space where we create costumes and develop our performances it also aims to support emerging drag talent in the region and beyond through workshops and mentorship. Drag lab is a space for people of all genders, races, ages and sexual orientations. We embrace drag as a form of creative expression and personal transformation that can be enjoyed by all."
An audit report from 2017 recently published by Liverpool Council stated that BICo was set up to benefit the local area. The report read: "The audit visit was carried out in accordance with the licence agreement, specifically term 4: “the licensee shall keep proper accounts and records of its revenue and expenditure in relation to the operation of the site, and maintain an open book approach to running the site, providing to the Council full details of the income generated and information related to how the funds are being re-invested into pre-agreed activities for the benefit of the local community”.
The ECHO approached Drag Lab and BICo for comment on this story.
On Monday city solicitor Dan Fenwick contacted Cllrs Steve Munby, Nick Small and Ann O'Byrne informing them they had been cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to BICo. They were three of five councillors facing complaints raised by Mayor Joanne Anderson in relation to their roles with BICo.
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