The Night Time Industry Association (NTIA) has spoken out against the UK government, accusing them of deliberately sabotaging the beloved and once lucrative industry. The NTIA stated their public disbelief at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reworked three-tier system, which seems to intentionally disregard the livelihoods of the night time industry.
Johnson’s revised rules will see hospitality and night-time venues closing at 11pm, with last orders to be taken at 10pm. Set to commence from Wednesday, December 2nd, Johnson’s new rules show almost no consideration towards the survival of the night time industry.
Night Time Industry Association Michael Kill released a public statement sharing his worries surrounding the new government restrictions. Kill stated “This announcement by the Government has led us to believe that they are intentionally aiming to collapse our sector…Every town and city across the UK stands to lose valued and much-loved venues. This will be another stab in the heart of our town and city centres.”
Live music and independent venues, integral parts of British culture, are at stake, Kill warns. Kill argued that “We stand to lose the cultural institutions and amazing workforce of professionals that the UK are renowned for globally. Our clubs, bars, venues, security, freelancers, staff, managers, DJ’s and many more will lose their livelihoods and continue to suffer financial hardship without Government intervention.”
Kill went on to directly question the Prime Minister’s lack of support for the live music sector. Kill said: “I make a direct appeal to the Prime Minister –what are you doing to save the lives and livelihoods of the many businesses and workers within the night-time economy, businesses that have been closed since March and are continuing to suffer?
Kill rightly pointed out that “they have staff and freelancers that will lose their jobs irrespective of furlough because the businesses won’t survive.” Kill concluded the statement with: “What do you say to that Prime Minister, I hope you are sleeping well at night because thousands within our sector are struggling to sleep, in fear of their future.”
In a survey taken of 400 UK businesses, the NTIA found that 75.6% of establishments confirmed that they will be closed by Christmas indefinitely. Additionally, 73% of them said they have made workers redundant since the pandemic began.
Whilst larger night clubs, such as London’s iconic Fabric, were aided by the government following the £1.5b Cultural Recovery Fund, countless others, which the government labelled as “culturally insignificant”, have been ignored.
In response to the Night Time Industry Association, a government spokesperson from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport said today: “Pubs, clubs and grassroots venues are the heartbeats of our vibrant night-time economy and we are continuing to work closely with the Night-Time Industries Association and medical experts to develop advice and guidance so that nightclubs can reopen when it’s safe to do so.”
Meanwhile, the Music Venue Trust has launched a brand new preservation campaign towards 30 UK Grassroots venues on the edge of permanent extinction. The MVT’s new #SaveThe30 campaign is vital in protecting beloved venues such as London’s Lexington or Halifax’s The Lantern.
Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd stated: “If we don’t act to save them right now, we do expect a large number of them to be permanently closed – it’s as simple as that. Unless a significant movement is made in the next four weeks, we should expect them to start closing in the middle of December.”
More information about donating to the Music Venue Trust can be found here.
