Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, has been lobbying the Government to consider support packages and temporary VAT exemptions for theatres and live music venues to help them in the coronavirus recovery.
Despite the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions this coming Saturday (4th July), live music performances will still be off limits for safety reasons.
Having raised the question of support for MK's arts sector with the Treasury in March as the nation locked down, Ben has now written to Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, requesting support for local venues such as MK Theatre, the Craufurd Arms, MK11 Live Music Venue and The Stables.
Ben said: “Milton Keynes is lucky to have so many independent live music and entertainment venues, we must do everything we can to ensure their short-term and long-term survival.
“The Government has already offered a tremendous amount of support across different sectors during the coronavirus pandemic so I hope they’ll be able to support our entertainment sector.
“We need to ensure businesses can bounce back when restrictions are lifted so people still have jobs, businesses still make money and people have places they can look forward to enjoying an evening out.”
Follow Total MK on Facebook: here and twitter here for breaking news in Milton Keynes
