Music / Bristol
The Fleece faces survival fight after business rate rises by over 400 per cent
The future of The Fleece has been cast into serious doubt as they face a massive increase in their annual business rate, amounting to over £50,000.
The news comes three years after more uncertainty, when proposed new flats would have seen bedrooms built within 20m of the stage. A petition to save the venue, in its location off Victoria Street for 35 years, garnered 17,000 signatures within 12-hours, and Bristol City Council initially refused planning permission.
However, flats opposite the venue were completed last week.
is needed now More than ever
“We’ve been hit with an increase which we simply cannot afford. The future of The Fleece as a viable business is far from secure and sh*t like this doesn’t help! We are now fighting to put out fires on 2 fronts!”, the venue stated in a Facebook post.
Other key venues in Bristol have also suffered from the change. Amongst the worst affected are The Lousiana, Bierkeller and Motion, while the rate remained the same for The Exchange and Thekla.
The Fleece is one of Bristol’s most established music venues, having operated for 35 years
Elsewhere in the city, Thekla remains under threat of closure after a new nearby development was given the green light. An event at the historic venue in early December explored ways to safeguard music venues alongside this kind of urban development, but it may come too late for one of Bristol’s longest-standing city-centre venues.
Speaking about the issue, Thekla representative Julie Tippins said: “[Development] should be done in a co-operative way with existing bars, venues and clubs to ensure their future is not jeopardised as a consequence. The key is to find ways to work together to overcome the challenges.”
Bristol City Council stated that the rate was set by the Valuation Office Agency, part of HM Revenues and Customs, rather than by them.
A Valuation Office Agency spokesperson said: “The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) works out the rateable value based on the annual level of trade (excluding VAT) that a venue of this type is expected to achieve if operated in a reasonably efficient way. This is called ‘fair maintainable turnover’ and it’s based on the type of licensed premises, the area it’s in and the services it offers.
“The VOA also looks at rents and turnovers to work out the fair maintainable trade figure, then applies a percentage to work out the rateable value.
“We’ve been using “fair maintainable turnover” to assess for over 25 years, in line with industry practice. And we regularly consult with the trade associations to ensure our approach mirrors changes in the industry as a whole.”
Read more: Thekla faces a fight for survival
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