Arena manager denies ‘saving pennies’ claim
VENUE BOSS FORCED TO DEFEND ACCUSATIONS FIRM WAS ‘SCROUNGING AROUND’
THe general manager of Manchester Arena has denied the venue owners were ‘scrounging around to save pennies’ on medical care before the 2017 bombing.
James Allen, who was and remains the Arena boss and a senior official at its owners SMG europe Ltd, was forced to defend accusations the firm had been ‘complacent and reactive’ at time when the national terror threat was high.
Ten years before the blast, the firm had contracted out medical and first aid services on concert nights to emergency Training UK (eTUK), the arena’s previous provider, despite allegations of financial irregularities and dishonesty, the independent inquiry into the atrocity heard.
SMG put medical services at the arena out to tender and three firms made bids.
Despite a history of ‘aggro’ with eTUK, the firm landed the contract with, on one measure, the lowest bid, Mr Allen confirmed.
Some 22 people died and hundreds were seriously hurt when a suicide bomber detonated a huge device in his backpack as mainly young concert-goers left the venue on May 22, 2017.
As the independent inquiry into the atrocity continued, arena general manager James Allen gave evidence about medical cover that night.
The inquiry heard that, despite serious concerns about the firm, eTUK had been handed the contract in 2007, and had committed to providing 11 firstaiders, a radio controller, and two ‘emergency medical technicians’ for a little over £1,000 per event. Following the blast, Mr Allen said he learned some of the medics didn’t have the qualifications required by the contract.
John Cooper QC, representing one group of families, questioned the size of the medical room at the arena and accused the firm of ‘penny-pinching’ in its contract, pointing out the firm had handed shareholders a £3m dividend in 2015.
He said: “It’s right to say, isn’t it, that at the time that we’re talking about, first aid rooms, stretchers, and perhaps being prepared for the tragedy that happened, SMG were making a lot of money, weren’t they? A dividend of £3m was paid out in 2015. And yet, they are scrounging around, aren’t they, to save money on stretchers?”
Mr Allen replied: “We put everything in place that we needed.”
The witness denied a suggestion the firm had been ‘passive and complacent’
in providing medical care just as it had been in providing security for the venue.
The witness was also grilled on whether one small medical room with two beds was sufficient for a venue capable of accommodating 21,000 people. He accepted it was small but he said it didn’t need to be bigger, stressing that the venue had catered for 900,000 customers in 2016 but it had only called nine ambulances and 136 people had required medical attention.
He said SMG had now contracted a new medical supplier after consulting with a senior paramedic.
We put everything in place that we needed James Allen, Arena boss