Member

First, the creative industries are a stated pillar of the Government’s growth strategy. The creative industries sector plan seeks to drive economic growth through culture, yet the business rates system is actively dismantling the very infrastructure on which that strategy depends. Secondly, venues and studios are low-margin but high-spillover assets. They anchor local creative supply chains, provide employment and skills development, and function as long-term cultural infrastructure for communities across the country. They are the research and development engine of our world-leading music industry, as we have heard: the places where unknown artists become national successes. Thirdly, intervention now represents excellent value for money for the Exchequer. Preventing irreversible closures through targeted relief would cost significantly less than later regeneration programmes, skills initiatives or business support initiatives required to rebuild what has been lost.