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Live music venues, pubs and social clubs in England<\/strong> will have their business rates bills cut by 20%<\/strong> from April 2027<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The measure is among the first acts of Andy Burnham<\/strong>\u2018s government, days after he became UK Prime Minister<\/strong> on Monday (July 20), succeeding Keir Starmer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The cut will apply to nearly 32,000<\/strong> businesses, with the typical pub estimated to save \u00a31,100<\/strong> (around USD<\/strong> $1,475<\/strong>) in the next financial year, the government said<\/a> on Thursday (July 23).<\/p>\n The 20%<\/strong> discount will be applied on top of an existing 15%<\/strong> relief for pubs and live music venues, taking the combined reduction to around 32%<\/strong>, by MBW\u2019s calculation.<\/p>\n That earlier 15%<\/strong> relief was announced in January<\/strong>, with bills also frozen in real terms for a further two years.<\/p>\n The new cut will not be available to the \u201cvery largest\u201d live music venues, the government said, with full eligibility details to be set out at the Budget<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The package is worth around \u00a3100 million<\/strong> ($134m) a year, funded partly by reviewing rate reliefs for businesses that \u201cdo not make a positive contribution to local communities, such as vape shops,\u201d alongside a crackdown on online marketplace sellers that avoid tax.<\/p>\n \u201cI said I would protect pubs and local high streets \u2013 the beating heart of our communities \u2013 and that\u2019s what we will do.\u201d<\/p>\n Andy Burnham, UK Prime Minister<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cFor too long, governments have stood by while cherished venues have disappeared from our local high streets,\u201d said Prime Minister Andy Burnham<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI said I would protect pubs and local high streets \u2013 the beating heart of our communities \u2013 and that\u2019s what we will do,\u201d Burnham<\/strong> added.<\/p>\n Chancellor John Healey<\/strong> said pubs, clubs and live music venues \u201care at the heart of communities across the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey bring people together, support local jobs and help keep high streets and town centres busy \u2013 which is why we will back them all the way,\u201d said Healey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey bring people together, support local jobs and help keep high streets and town centres busy \u2013 which is why we will back them all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n John Healey, UK Chancellor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n UK Music<\/strong> CEO Tom Kiehl<\/strong> said the cut offered \u201cmuch needed support for live music venues.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have lost too many venues to soaring business rates and these cuts offer a crucial lifeline to those still struggling to make ends meet,\u201d said Kiehl<\/strong>, who also urged the government to extend the relief to recording studios.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have lost too many venues to soaring business rates and these cuts offer a crucial lifeline to those still struggling to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Kiehl, UK Music<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Michael Forster<\/strong>, CEO of music marketplace GigPig<\/strong>, called the move \u201ca hugely positive step.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt GigPig, we\u2019ve long championed what we call seed music venues: the pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels where many musicians earn their first paid gigs, build confidence and take the first steps in their careers before progressing to grassroots venues and beyond,\u201d said Forster<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re serious about protecting Britain<\/strong>\u2018s position as one of the world\u2019s leading music nations, we need to support the entire live music ecosystem, from the very first paid performance through to our most iconic stages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re serious about protecting Britain<\/strong>\u2018s position as one of the world\u2019s leading music nations, we need to support the entire live music ecosystem, from the very first paid performance through to our most iconic stages.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Forster<\/strong>, GigPig<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe hope that, as a champion of British music, Andy Burnham<\/strong> will continue to recognise the vital role played by seed and grassroots music venues, and the wider hospitality sector that helps develop the next generation of British talent,\u201d said Forster<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Music Venue Trust<\/strong> (MVT), which represents grassroots venues, welcomed the \u201crecognition that grassroots music venues are essential to our local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 20% additional reduction on Business Rates from April 2027 is an encouraging first step in a range of opportunities available to Andy Burnham<\/strong>\u2018s new team to not just protect and secure live music, but begin to restore its central role at the heart of our towns and cities.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Davyd, Music Venue Trust<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThe 20% additional reduction on Business Rates from April 2027 is an encouraging first step in a range of opportunities available to Andy Burnham<\/strong>\u2018s new team to not just protect and secure live music, but begin to restore its central role at the heart of our towns and cities,\u201d said MVT CEO Mark Davyd<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Davyd<\/strong> called on the governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to match the support through \u201cBarnett formula consequentials,\u201d and urged ministers to widen the criteria \u201cso that all live music spaces of all sizes qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Kill<\/strong>, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association<\/strong>, said the move \u201cdemonstrates a broader recognition of the vital economic, cultural and social contribution made by the night-time economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Kill<\/strong> added that the tax break could provide \u201cmeaningful relief to businesses facing sustained cost pressures.\u201d<\/p>\n Grassroots venues have been closing across the UK even as the wider live sector has grown, with consumer spend on UK live music rising 9.5% year-over-year<\/strong><\/span> in 2024 to \u00a36.68 billion<\/strong> ($7.23bn), as previously reported by MBW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Manchester, <\/strong>where Burnham<\/strong> served as mayor before returning to Parliament, is the UK\u2019s second-largest live music market after London<\/strong>, accounting for 8.1%<\/strong> of live music spend that year.<\/p>\n The rates cut adds to a series of measures introduced over the past year, including Turn It Up: Our Plan for Music<\/a>, unveiled on July 13<\/strong> under the previous government.<\/p>\n Those measures also include a ban on ticket resale above face value and a \u00a31<\/strong> voluntary contribution on arena and stadium tickets that funds the LIVE Trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham<\/strong> championed the Beyond The Music<\/strong> conference and publicly backed the \u00a31<\/strong> grassroots ticket levy.<\/p>\n\n
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