The Craufurd Arms: Milton Keynes independent venue under threat of closure
The managers of the Milton Keynes independent venue, The Craufurd Arms, have revealed that the business is facing a very real threat of closure having seen unprecedented increases in the running costs.
Max Harvey, co-owner of the venue in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, explained that the “real threat” to his business was the rising energy bills. Harvey was speaking to the BBC as part of Independent Venue Week, the annual seven-day celebration of the UK’s grassroots venues. IVW began this Monday and is not only a celebration of the establishments themselves but “also the people who own, run and work in them”, according to the IVW website.
Harvey told the interviewer that The Craufurd Arms had only managed to get through the pandemic by the skin of its teeth, relying on arts council funding and public donations. However, they still face many challenges, with the cost of living crisis an everpresent spectre for him and his business partner, Jason Hall.
“Now the biggest threat is rising costs. Energy bills are just insane,” Harvey expressed to the BBC. “Our electricity has quadrupled from £16,000 a year to £72,000 a year – that’s not including gas and water which have both doubled,” he said. “These are the biggest increases in overheads we have ever seen, which is a real threat to the viability of the business.”
The cost of living crisis and rising energy bills exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict present many independent music and entertainment venues across the UK with an existential crisis. Harvey’s account is indicative of a much broader trend, where grassroots venues are becoming unviable business operations for their owners due to the myriad of costs that they are presently incurring.
The founder of IVW, Sybil Bell, spoke to The Independent in September 2022 and discussed how crucial grassroots and independent venues are to culture. “Being truly independent is so important to so many venues, and is what allows them to put on artists they believe in, especially early on in their careers,” she said. “Independent venues and artists are such a huge part of the authenticity of the community.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.