Drunk 13-year-old, fire safety and violence: Inside the attempts to close a Burnley nightclub
PLUS: Calls for a councillor to step down after a Lancashire Lead investigation
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
Today we report on the long-running saga of Proj3kt nightclub - stripped of its licence by Burnley Council but set to appeal.
The issues cited by police in requesting a review of the licence are numerous, detailed and make for grim reading - but the operators believe that they have been treated unfairly by police for a number of reasons.
We report in-depth on the evidence presented by police, the club's responses and the long history of conflict between police and the operators in Burnley.
Elsewhere, we also have an update on our investigation into council tax arrears of Tom Ormerod at Pendle Council.
This, along with his poor meeting record, has prompted the Liberal Democrats to call for his resignation. The Lancashire Lead’s investigation prompted LancsLive and the Lancashire Telegraph to follow in reporting the story.
Thank you and we hope you enjoy reading.
Violent incidents every week at Burnley nightclub threatened with closure, police say in dossier of evidence
By Jamie Lopez
A drunk 13-year-old, fire safety breaches, noise complaints, and frequent violence were among issues which led to a Burnley nightclub being stripped of its licence.
Burnley Council’s licensing sub committee decided to revoke the licence from Proj3kt nightclub following a review request submitted by Lancashire Constabulary and supported by Environmental Health and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
According to the police submission, crime associated with the Hammerton Street venue has risen since the closure of Mode, another nightclub which was run by the same operators until it was closed down in March 2024 amid concerns over crime and violence. A report submitted by the force said there was an average of 3.3 violent crime incidents linked to Proj3kt every week since then.
These incidents, it said, are linked to policing costs of £600,000 over a two year period. The club’s owners disputed this, saying most of those incidents should not have been linked to the premises, and put forward £75,000 as what they believe to be a more accurate figure.
According to Lancashire Constabulary, it had objected to a 2023 request for “Mode Properties Ltd” to be named as the new licensing holder but due to an “administrative error” no hearing took place and the transfer was allowed.
At this point, the owners Jason and Rebecca McQuoid were responsible for both Mode and Proj3kt and when the former closed down, police had concerns that violence associated with it would simply relocate to the latter. After Mode’s closure, an appeal was made against a decision to revoke that licence but rejected.
Among the violence at Proj3kt cited by police was an incident which saw door staff accused of going “far beyond what could be considered reasonable” when dealing with a drunken customer in the early hours of December 28 - during the period in which the licence was being reviewed.
The police submission states: “This incident involved a male being ejected from the premises at 04:45hrs. The male is clearly being violent towards door staff, kicking out at door staff and spitting at one of them.
“The incident then spills out into the street and several members of door staff and another male who is apparently not door staff go into the street where the male is bouncing around seemingly wanting to fight with them.
“The male who is not door staff appears initially to be a bit of a peacemaker, but he suddenly strikes the male and he and two members of door staff take hold of the male and slap him around the head nine times.
“One of the door staff then rips a chain off from around the males' neck and strikes him around the head and face with it, hitting the male 17 times. It is only when [...] the assistant manager comes over and intervenes that the incident is stopped.
“It is the view of the Police that whilst the males' behaviour is clearly unacceptable, the door staff go far beyond what could be considered reasonable in dealing with the situation.”
Since then, the two door staff have been reported to the Security Industry Authority and have had their licence suspended pending investigation. The male involved in the investigation was arrested by police for being drunk and disorderly.
Among the other submissions to the licensing review was a member of the public who said they’d been sent a video of their 13-year-old grandson in the nightclub, seemingly drunk.
They said they were “absolutely disgusted and angered” that the child had been allowed in and apparently been able to consume alcohol there. In their submission, the owners disputed the record put forward by police and instead criticised the licensing sergeant for not making them aware earlier.
They wrote: “We were never made aware of the allegation concerning an underage customer at the time it was reported, which we believe is unfair, as it denied us the opportunity to conduct an internal investigation and take any necessary action. Effective communication is essential in upholding licensing objectives, and in this instance, the lack of notification from the police has failed us as a venue by preventing us from addressing the matter proactively.”
Meanwhile, the council’s Environmental Health was among those objecting amid concerns over the noise problems from the venue. It submitted logs of its own recorded and sound checks from nearby properties where the volume consistently breached acceptable levels. It was also noted that a public notice informing of the review had been torn down.
Serious concerns were further raised by the fire service after inspections found a series of failings and a two year period resulting in little to no progress in addressing them. As such, a potential prosecution is being considered over an alleged failure to act on two enforcement notices.
Even in recent months, reports have continued to be received about fire exits being secured with padlocks.
While in their submissions the owners claimed that they’d chosen to stop using the services of the previous company which supplied bouncers, a letter to the police from the company said it had stopped due to being owed £30,000 by Proj3kt.
The business also ran into issues unrelated to licensing when last month it used its Facebook page to accuse two staff members of stealing from the till in a post which contained CCTV footage.
The sub-committee’s chair Cllr Anne Kelly told the meeting after it voted to revoke the club’s licence: “The committee feel that all four of the licensing objectives have not been upheld at Proj3kt nightclub.
“In relation to the prevention of crime and disorder, the committee are extremely concerned about the level of violent behaviour in and around Proj3kt night club.
“The committee accept that there is evidence of the misuse and sale of illegal substances at Proj3kt nightclub.
“The committee also accept there is evidence of the sale of alcohol to those who are underage. This includes evidence of a 13-year-old child gaining access.”
Mr and Mrs McQuoid remained defiant both before and after the decision and have said they plan to appeal. Responding to the decision, they were also critical of police activity in the town.
In a statement, they said: “We are obviously extremely disappointed that the committee chose this decision, and we will be appealing it.
“Only seven per cent of the documented incidents over a two year period were related to violent disorder from our customers – the remainder is from people out on the streets.
“I speak for all the licensed premises in Burnley when I say that our night time economy needs better policing numbers and a schedule to fit how the town operates now.
“We cannot police the streets. The door supervisors are restricted by their insurance, they are unable to leave the premises to deal with anything happening up the street, and there is just no police presence after 1am and that leaves the whole town vulnerable.
“Late night premises are being targeted up and down the country because they are being made to not only control their venue but the vicinity and streets around.
“We have spoken to the police commissioner on this matter and hope to campaign to change the archaic police schedules which means that our night time economy is left with no police presence to ensure a safe and enjoyable night out.”
Despite the decision, the nightclub is able to stay open pending the outcome of a potential appeal.
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Councillor in Pendle facing calls to resign after Lancashire Lead investigation
By Robbie Macdonald
A Conservative councillor is facing a call to resign for owing nearly £4,000 in council tax across a three-year period and not attending numerous Pendle Council meetings.
Cllr Tom Ormerod, a representative for Colne’s Vivary Bridge ward, “should resign immediately”, according to Lib-Dem councillor David Whipp, who issued a statement this week after The Lancashire Lead exclusively revealed the unpaid tax bill. Pendle Council has confirmed the council tax arrears.
Karen Spencer, the council’s director of resources, said: “Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 makes it an offence for a councillor in council tax arrears of at least two months to vote at a council meeting where financial matters relating to council tax are being considered.
“Coun Ormerod has attended two committee meetings and one full council meeting since December 2023. If a councillor fails to attend meetings for six months, unless the non-attendance was approved by the council, they automatically cease to be a councillor.”
Cllr Whipp has now raised questions about what the local Conservative Party knew about the council tax situation when they chose Cllr Ormerod as a local election candidate in 2023.
He said: “This is a scandal. At the end of March last year, Cllr Ormerod owed £3,835 in council tax arrears. He was paid £3,131 in allowances in that year.
“Cllr Ormerod has only attended two meetings in the past 14 months, the bare minimum to avoid disqualification for non-attendance. And he has only been to one full council meeting during the whole of his time on the council. In total, he’s missed 27 meetings that he should have attended.
“It’s hardly a surprise that Colne is a neglected corner of Pendle when it has a non-paying, non-attending councillor. Cllr Ormerod should resign immediately and allow someone willing to do the work to take over.
“The Conservatives need to take a long, hard look at themselves in putting forward a candidate who was £1,700 in arrears at the time of his election. They should have acted before now to make him stand down.
“Residents rightly want answers as to why this situation has been allowed for three years. It stinks. It cannot continue.”
Cllr Coun Ormerod is in arrears of £1,153 for the year ending March 2022; £547 for the year ending March 2023; and £2,135 for year ending March 2024.
Cllr Whipp said Cllr Ormerod has only attended two meetings since December 2023. Both were area committee meetings in Colne, on May 9 and November 7, 2024. His claimed his only attendance at a full council meeting was May 18, 2023.
Cllr Ormerod was elected to Colne’s Vivary Bridge ward in May 2023.
The ward currently has a by-election following the resignation of another Conservative councillor – Kieran McGladdery – after his group failed to back stronger taxi-safety measures at a council meeting in December.
Cllr Ormerod remains a borough councillor. Both he and Pendle Council’s Conservative group have been contacted for comment.
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Thank you for reading. We will be back with you, as always, on Sunday. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Luke, Jamie, Ed, Sophie and the team.