With the lack of current support on the horizon, nightclubs and entertainment venues face the prospect of bankruptcy and closure as their finances grow ever shorter.
Clubs such as The Arch, among others, have spoken out as they face almost 11 months of closure without the possibility of business.
Even performers such as Brighton product Fatboy Slim have taken to social media in recent times to call out Boris Johnson and the Conservative government for their lack of help that has been provided to an industry on its knees and its litany of workers who face the unemployment line when the country is able to reopen again .This follows an industry body alert that these fears are severe and immediate with many nightclubs nationwide facing extinction without urgent government intervention.
Such bodies as the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) say that it could be as much as 80% of nightclub businesses not making it past the end of February without any support.
Some businesses had received some funding support from the current culture recovery scheme in place, such as Concorde 2, many venues making similar applications have been denied by the Arts Council.
Almost 90% of late-night venues are believed to are in rent arrears of two months or more, with two thirds of these having made over 60% of their workforce redundant by the end of last year.
The governments continued lack of support has been seen as their ignorance of the sector, with a complete oversight of the cultural institution that has such economic and cultural value.
As an industry, night clubs have faced challenges not seen in other sectors, as financial hardships, planning changes, increased regulation, lack of financial service provisions and lack of inclusion in government rhetoric all playing into the factors influencing their lack of success.
There is also a crucial issue regarding planning control, as landlords could choose to convert current struggling nightclubs into housing developments.
Under current planning proposals, this would redevelop legislation and allow for the demolition of ‘vacant and redundant’ light industrial buildings to be replaced with houses and other residential property.
