Government urged by Gosport MP to support grassroots venues like The Wedgewood Rooms in cost-of-living crisis

In Questions to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage called on the government to give more aid to our ‘global superpower’ music industry – and particularly the venues.

Grassroots music venues, including The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea, have been recognised as vital to the development of strong creative industries through providing upcoming musicians the opportunity to gain experience of live performances, and are a significant component of the night time economy.

These venues have had a tough time recently with Covid-19 shutting them down for months, and then only being allowed to reopen on a limited basis, before the cost-of-living crisis began to bite.

Ms Dinenage was minister of state for digital and culture from February 2020-September 2021 and was key in securing the £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund in July 2020 which was vital in helping cultural institutions, including grassroots music venues, to stay afloat through the pandemic. The Wedge received £147,372 in October 2022.

During the questions she asked: ‘Touring musicians from overseas and our home-grown talent need venues in which to perform. Yet so many of those brilliant grassroots music venues up and down the country are now really struggling.

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‘It’s so important because these are effectively the R&D department of our music industry, which is our global superpower. The Cultural Recovery Fund enabled so many of these venues to survive. How are we going to ensure that they aren’t destroyed by the cost-of-living crisis?”

The responding Minister, Julia Lopez, said she had recently met with the industry’s Music Venues Trust, and added: ‘I discussed with them a range of issues that face the sector including energy costs, including ticketing and various proposals that involve both government but also the private sector, and we’re exploring how we can help those critical grassroots music venues to survive. They are absolutely vital to the development of talent in our wider music industry.’

Caroline added afterwards: ‘I am pleased that the minister recognises the significant impact that grassroots music venues have as the engine room of our strong cultural sector. I look forward to following this issue to see the minister make progress on this.’