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Question to the Cabinet Member for Communications and Culture : 2025/02 - Music Venue Trust Minutes: Councillor Al-Nuaimi asked:
Following the recent press report in the South Wales Argus and also social media, I was pleased to read that Le Pub, situated in the High St has been bought by the Music Venue Trust as a way of preserving this as a venue for live music and to develop the live music scene for the community of Newport. I was further pleased to note that Le Pub was the second live music venue bought by the MVT in Wales. According to the press report this purchase, was enabled with contributions from the Community Ownership Fund and UK government of £250k. The acquisition is intended to help secure the venue, for many years to come, for the development grassroots music development in our city.
All sounds very positive and is in the spirit of enabling Newport to maintain an excellent reputation in the promotion and development of live music and local talent.
The following are questions, I would like to ask the Cabinet Member for Communications and Culture:
1. In view of the proximity of the Le Pub to the Corn Exchange, which was launched in March 2024, also as a venue for live music performances, what would be the intended and exact relationships between the 2 venues in encouraging this important leisure and cultural area? 2. Will Newport City Council have an involvement in the way these 2 venues plan their programmes and offerings towards the development of grassroots live music in Newport and South Wales? 3. How will these 2 venues help to make a significant impact on making the city centre an attractive destination for lovers and fans of live music with a view to increase the footfall in the High St and city centre generally?
Any other relevant comments from the Cabinet member would be most welcome.
Councillor Stowell-Corten responded:
Corn Exchange and Le Pub are two of a number of excellent venues in the city centre which offer live music and support local talent. The Council generally has no direct involvement in the programming of their events but we do work together to deliver some Council led events including during the Food Festival where the Corn Exchange and other venues across the city such as The Place, The Market and the Rising Hub were used for talks and exhibitions. I cannot comment on the nature of the relationship between these two specific venues as they are privately operated businesses. However, as a council we support all our creative and cultural businesses and are working together in the development of the new Cultural Strategy. We are also working together to deliver new events to showcase Newport and our home-grown talent, including the music festival at the end of March. It is great to see live music growing and thriving in the city centre
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