Music venues, clubs and pubs in England to receive 20 per cent tax break
Andy Burnham says the new move will be funded by looking at tax relief received by businesses such as vape shops
By Nick Reilly
Music venues, clubs and pubs in England will receive a 20 per cent cut in business rates next year, the Prime Minister has announced.
Andy Burnham announced the policy today (July 23), marking his latest move since taking over from Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street on Monday.
Burnham has said the business rates cut will be funded by a review of the tax reliefs given to businesses that “do not make a positive contribution to local communities, such as vape shops”.
The Prime Minister added that the government wants to “crack down” on businesses that “do not comply with their tax obligations” and the decrease in taxes is expected to save a typical UK pub around £1,100 per year.
It’s thought that 32,000 other businesses will reap the rewards similar benefits, although it will not extend to the biggest music venues in the country.
Burnham said on social media: “I’m giving thousands of pubs, clubs and music venues a 20 per cent cut in business rates. I won’t stand by while these cherished local spaces disappear, replaced by boarded-up windows and ‘For Sale’ signs. They’re the heart of our communities and it’s time we backed them.”
Chancellor John Healy added: “Pubs, clubs and live music venues are at the heart of communities across the UK. They bring people together, support local jobs and help keep high streets and town centres busy — which is why we will back them all the way. We are determined to bring hope back, give businesses the support they need and generate growth in every postcode.”
The move was also warmly welcomed by Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd, who described it as an “encouraging first step”.
“There remain some issues of implementation of previous reliefs, and we will work with colleagues in government to ensure that all grassroots music venues in England are recognised and eligible,” Davyd added. “We call on Senedd, Holyrood, and the Northern Ireland Assembly 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.”
It comes a week after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy unveiled a new range of boosts for the music industry, including transforming public libraries into music lending spaces.
The new initiative was directly inspired by Ed Sheeran‘s charity The Ed Sheeran Foundation, which has previously funded music lending in libraries and youth centres.
“A lot of this journey started with the Greater Manchester Music Plan,” Nandy said. “Michael Dugher has been appointed as our first UK music champion, and Andy previously commissioned him to come in and write a strategy for Greater Manchester to rebuild some of that.”
She added: “It was about helping to rebuild the whole ecosystem from the ground up because every artist starts somewhere. And that ‘somewhere’ has largely disappeared in recent years. This plan takes its inspiration from something that Andy started years ago and that I was very proud to be a part of.”