Responding to the Chancellor’s Spending Review last week, UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said that UK Music welcomes the Chancellor’s announcement of a £4 billion levelling up fund “which we hope will be a much-needed boost for the creative sector”.

Mr Njoku-Goodwin said that UK Music looks forward to “engaging with the Government to explore how that fund can be used to ensure the music industry helps drive growth the country needs and that we all want to see. Music and music venues are integral to the local economies of towns and cities everywhere. We hope this fund could be used to further support the vital role they already play”.

Mr Njoku-Goodwin said that UK Music is “determined be at the forefront of the post-pandemic economic and cultural recovery”, noting that the music industry contributed £5.8 billion a year to the economy and sustained almost 200,000 jobs pre-Covid.

Mr Njoku-Goodwin also welcomed the announcement of a package of support for tourism with a new City of Culture competition, observing that more than 12 million music tourists spent £4.7 billion in 2019 at venues across the UK. “A new City of Culture competition will help shine the spotlight on some of the vibrant and diverse music scenes that make our venues such a magnet for visitors from home and abroad.” To read Mr Nojku-Goodwin’s statement in full, click here.