Grass-roots Music Venues

Debate between Lord Livermore and Lord Bassam of Brighton

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bassam of Brighton]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the 2025 Budget on grassroots music venues.

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Livermore) (Lab)]

My Lords, we are introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, including grass-roots music venues, worth nearly £1 billion a year. As part of the changes to business rates, we announced a £4.3 billion support package to protect those facing higher bills after revaluation. We have also more than doubled funding to support independent artists and grass-roots music venues as part of the music growth package, building on the UK’s strength as a world-leading creative industries destination.

[Lord Bassam of Brighton (Lab)]

My Lord, that is a very welcome response from the Minister, but I wonder what assessment His Majesty’s Government have made of forecasts that increased business rate valuations could result in a closure of between 80 to 120 grass-roots music venues and place a further 120-plus at risk. How do the Government square this with their welcome commitment to high street regeneration, creative sector growth, the night-time economy and protecting cultural infrastructure? Will the Minister agree to meet representatives from the sector to discuss the issue further?

Tourism Levy

Debate between Lord Livermore and Lord Bassam of Brighton

Monday 14th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bassam of Brighton]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what evaluation they have made of the potential benefits of a tourism levy to alleviate funding pressures facing seaside and coastal communities.

[The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Livermore) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government have no plans at present to introduce visitor levy powers in England. The spending review allocated place-based funding that aims to benefit many seaside and coastal communities.

[Lord Bassam of Brighton (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that encouraging reply. Will he ensure that powers which might be required to enable local authorities to develop such a tourist tax will be included in legislation extending devolutionary powers, so that local authorities can work with businesses and other civic institutions to help regenerate our poorer seaside and coastal communities—encouraging them particularly in the hospitality, arts and cultural sectors?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am grateful to my noble friend for his question. I pay tribute to his consistent campaigning on this issue and on behalf of these communities in general, and to his expertise in this matter. He has led several reviews into it. We have been engaging with stakeholders to understand their proposals and will continue to do so, but we have no plans to introduce visitor levy powers in England. I hope he will have seen in the recent spending review that the Government announced communities funding for up to 350 places. Of the 75 places that were listed, 17 are on the English coast. We also announced funding for an additional 25 neighbourhoods over the next decade. Of the 20 additional neighbourhoods, eight are coastal. I hope that goes some way towards addressing the issues that my noble friend sets out.

Business Rates Reform

Debate between Lord Livermore and Lord Bassam of Brighton

Monday 23rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

We have set out very clearly that we want to go further to modernise the system, over and above the tax cuts that I set out for small properties, exactly for the reasons my noble friend sets out. We have published a discussion paper setting out priority areas for reform that highlights further areas, including how to incentivise investment. Later this summer, we will publish an interim report setting out a clear direction of travel. We will then set out further policy detail in the Budget this autumn.

[Lord Bassam of Brighton (Lab)]

My Lords, could the Minister consider the position of ABIDs and perhaps, when the Government refuse a situation, provide some more incentives for ABIDs, so they act more like a local levy for seaside towns?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am very happy to take that away and discuss it with my colleagues in MHCLG.