Prime Minister Andy Burnham has thrown his weight behind the UK’s ailing nightlife industry, announcing a 20% cut to business rates for nearly 32,000 pubs, clubs and live music venues. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Burnham said: “I grew up on nights out in Manchester, from the Haçienda to the little rooms where the next big act cuts its teeth. Those places gave people like me somewhere to belong, and I’ve watched too many go dark.”
The cut, which comes into effect in April, will save a typical pub about £1,100 a year. But campaigners say far more is needed. The Good Growth Foundation (GGF) has urged Burnham to go further, proposing that pubs and clubs be designated as ‘Assets of Cultural Value’ — a new planning category that would place them on par with opera houses. Under the proposals, venues within legally recognised cultural districts would be shielded from noise complaints, shifting the burden of proof onto complainants to show conditions have changed. An ‘Eyes Wide Open’ clause would also be inserted into rental and sales agreements, forcing new residents to acknowledge they are moving into a noisier area.
“PM Andy Burnham cuts business rates 20% for pubs; think tank urges 'cultural asset' status to protect nightlife.”
The moves come as data from TicketSource shows 48% of live music and entertainment venues launched in 2025 have already closed. The latest Night Time Economy Market Monitor reveals one in four late-night venues have shut since 2020, with a further 4% decline into 2026. Among the casualties is legendary LGBTQ+ bar Circa in London’s Soho, which announced its closure after 15 years, while Manchester’s Deansgate Locks lost Popworld and Ark, once the heart of the city’s nightlife.
Rapper Tinie Tempah, who found fame with 2010’s ‘Pass Out’ and recently performed at Roundhay Festival in Leeds, credits nightclubs with launching his career. “Venues are closing at an alarming rate,” he said. “As an artist, they’re where I earned my stripes.” He recalled slogging around the UK from age 16, playing grassroots venues: “The reason I’m still here to this day is because of that connection with audiences.”
The GGF’s report, ‘Don’t Stop the Music: Protecting Britain’s right to joy and the nights that shape us’, is backed by Lord Tom Watson, who wrote the foreword. “We have seen in cities such as Manchester what happens when local leaders recognise the potential of the sector,” he said. “Nightlife can help bring a town or city centre back to life.”
Praful Nargund, director of the GGF, added: “If you move into an area famous for pubs, clubs and live music, you should do so with your eyes open to the fact that there will be more noise… Otherwise a vocal minority is able to wage a war on fun.” The group also proposes that housing developers who fail to install proper sound-proofing should be forced to pay, and that nearby developments must be assessed for their impact on venues. The last pub in every village should be given an English-heritage style blue plaque to signal its protection.
While Burnham, as Mayor of Manchester, previously backed calls to cut the VAT rate for hospitality businesses from 20% to 10%, that has not yet been announced as government policy. For now, the Prime Minister is betting that rate relief will stem the tide of closures. “Get this right,” he said, “and there’s good growth, and a night out worth having, in every town in Britain.”