Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to those managing small music venues to enable them to acquire the freehold ownership of those venues in order to create protected leaseholds.

The Government is committed to supporting grassroots music venues, which are crucial to our world-leading music sector.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues of all sizes across the country. The Department works closely with industry representatives and across Government to ensure that the live music sector continues to thrive.

That is why we are helping the sector to develop the next generation of British talent by providing an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, as announced in the Creative Industries Sector Vision on 14 June. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young, emerging, and diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and to develop new income streams.

This is in addition to other support the Government has provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund since 2019.