Manchester Pride has axed funding for two LGBT charities, leading to calls for CEO Mark Fletcher to resign.
The event ended guaranteed donations to HIV support charity George House Trust, which has lost 90% of its funding over the course of the pandemic, and a sexual health scheme run by the LGBT Foundation for 27 years.
In 2019, the Manchester Pride donated 3% of its £3.94m revenue to charity.
It spent £1.5m on hosting ticketed concerts in the same year, with headliner Ariana Grande receiving £250,000 for a 20 minute performance.
CEO of LGBT Foundation Paul Martin said: “You can see the accounts, which are quite stark, an increasing amount of artist fees, and a diminishing amount going to charities.”
A petition calling for Fletcher’s resignation has received more than 1,000 signatures online.