Financial support for York venues in decline, data shows

Data obtained from a Freedom of Information request has shown that during the 2021/22 period funding from City of York Council and central Government amounted to £159,728 with large amounts of Government money being used through Covid support schemes such as the Assisted Restrictions Grant (ARG).

In 2025/26, the only disclosed revenue grants were £4,200 to the National Centre for Early Music and £6,537 to YPO Productions for Guildhall Orchestra concerts staged at the Barbican.

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The FOI shows disclosed grant funding falling sharply after the pandemic, while the level of business-rates relief available to qualifying venues has also reduced in recent years.

A nationwide Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief Scheme was lowered from 75 per cent in 2024/25 to 40 per cent in 2025/26 before finally ending on March 31, 2026.

The Government says the retail, hospitality and leisure relief scheme ended on March 31 and was replaced by permanently lower business-rates multipliers for eligible occupied properties.

During the pandemic, the scheme had been expanded to provide 100 per cent relief for qualifying retail, leisure and hospitality premises.

Support for venues in York is on the decline financially, according to a Freedom of Information request. (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Since the start of the pandemic and subsequent national lockdowns, the UK late-night economy has shrunk by a reported 29 per cent according to the latest Night Time Economy Market Monitor.

Despite being fairly resilient, York has seen a number of key venues disappear in recent years including the well-known venue Victoria Vaults in Nunnery Lane.

A spokesperson for the City of York Council said: “Historically, between the financial years 2020/21 and 2025/26, the Government did not operate a specific standalone relief scheme for live music venues.

“Instead, these properties were supported via broader national initiatives, namely the Expanded Retail Discount and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief Scheme.

“For the 2026/27 financial year, the government introduced a single, combined Pubs and Live Music Venue Relief scheme.

“The council currently records a total of 177 receiving this unified relief.

“Because this is a single, combined scheme, our systems do not separate premises operating solely as live music venues from those operating as pubs.”

Victoria Vaults closed its doors in December 2024 and plans were made for the building to be redeveloped into a cafe.

In the 2021/22 period Victoria Vaults received £16,000 under the ARG Grant, under the same grant York venues The Crescent and Fulford Arms received £30,800 and £21,000 respectively.

Earlier this year a campaign was launched for Victoria Vaults to be listed as a community asset.