By Monk
The charity which fights to protect and grow the UK’s grassroots music venues has welcomed the first step by the new Burnham administration to help do likewise by announcing a 20 per cent reduction in business rates for live venues in England, and has called on the three devolved administrations to do the same.
The Music Venue Trust said that it “warmly welcomes” this morning’s announcement, as it was “recognition that grassroots music venues are essential to our local communities“. However, while it said the move was “an encouraging first step“, the Trust added the caveat that “it is just one of a range of opportunities available” to the new administration.
There remain some issues of implementation of previous reliefs, and we will work with colleagues in government, , and we will work with colleagues in government, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and HM Treasury to ensure that all grassroots music venues in England are recognized and eligible.
The trust also called on the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and the Northern Ireland Executive to “swiftly confirm they will match this much needed support through Barnett formula consequentials”.
Venues in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland must be confident of a level playing field of economic conditions for touring across the UK.
Live music is an ecosystem, and we strongly urge the government to reconsider the proposed limit to the eligibility criteria so that all live music spaces of all sizes qualify, supporting jobs, local economies and communities to access live music.
The news coincides with the announcement that Trust, via the Music Venue Properties #OwnOurVenues initiative, has acquired a tenth grassroots venue, The Pipeline in Brighton, thus placing the property into permanent community partnership.
The Pipeline joins The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea, The Booking Hall in Dover, The Joiners in Southampton, The Croft in Bristol, Gut Level in Sheffield and Northern Guitars in Leeds in MVP’s growing portfolio, which is funded entirely by donations. The purchase of The Pipeline was supported by investment in the initiative by Brighton-based DJ Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim.
