Support for music venues

Dear Oliver,

RE: Support for music venues

I’m writing to you today regarding music venues within the city of Portsmouth and my constituency of Portsmouth North.

Our Grassroots Music Venues are the fundamental foundations and cornerstone on which our world beating £5.2 billion per year music industry has been built for the last 60 years. Without our Grassroots Music Venues, there would be no Beatles. No Stones, no Led Zeppelin; to name but a few of our world class bands and artists. Our Grassroots Music Venues are essential to the whole UK music industry bouncing-back in the future.

Grassroots Music venues are a training and rehearsal hub, they provide recording opportunities and career development to thousands of young people and are central to local communities. They do not just support the next generation of world beating artists; Grassroots Music Venues are where people come together, where they celebrate, where they socialise. Thousands of cultural professionals get their first taste of working in the creative industries in such venues, including many of those who go on to work in areas other than music. Grassroots Music Venues sit at the very heart of our creative nation.

Last year there were more than 175,000 events across such venues that gave people the experiences they love and the artists the opportunities they need. Since 20th March there have been no events.

Public Health advice has been clear, being in a confined space for a long period is a high-risk activity. However, there must be compromise, and I would be interested to know what your department is doing to ensure such venues can open safely and quickly to ensure the long-term survival of this important industry.

Yours sincerely,

Penny Mordaunt MP