A concert promoter banned from being a company director has received

a vote of confidence from council

entertainments bosses.

Ish Ali has been given the go-ahead by Brighton and Hove Council to help organise a music festival in Stanmer Park this summer.

Mr Ali organised the 1997 Essential Music Festival which attracted 45,000 fans and much criticism about noise and traffic chaos.

But there is concern over Mr Ali's role in July's two-day festival following revelations about his financial management skills.

Earlier this week Mr Ali was banned from being a company director for five years after deposits of more than £1 million to a bank account could not be accounted for by

liquidators.

At Brighton County Court, the Department of Trade and Industry successfully applied for an order banning him from being a company director under the Company Disqualification Act.

The court was told the liquidators had failed to find out where the money from income from the ticket sales had gone.

Between April 1 and June 30, 1997, about £1 million was deposited into the Essential Music Festival bank account of which Mr Ali was a director.

But when liquidators started investigating the finances of the company after it went into voluntary liquidation with debts of £240,000 following an unsuccessful event in August of the same year, they could find receipts for only small amounts, such as £23 or £22.50, totalling £183,293.

But a council spokesman said: "Ish Ali has been banned from holding directorships and is not a director. We will be dealing with him as an employee of the company.

"The council always insists on getting payment from promoters up front, and we will do so in this case.

"We are also proposing to keep money from ticket sales until any Essential debts to local supplies from this show are cleared.

"We're expecting to be able to confirm that soon. Essential has a record of putting on a great show. The problem has been that in the past Ish Ali's financial skills have never matched his undoubted flair as a promoter."

Mr Ali said: "I am just an employee of Essential. I am not a director and haven't been for two years. I am employed by Essential because I have the experience of organising festivals and I am the one the council is dealing with.

"On the finances front we have said the council can hold a percentage of the ticket income to ensure prompt payment to local suppliers."

Ian Duncan, executive councillor for culture, said: "He is not a director of the company, nor has he been for several years, but I cannot comment on his position with the DTI."

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