Milton Keynes’ “crucial” grassroots music venues to receive £40,000 council funding

Milton Keynes City Council has allocated £40,000 to support grassroots music venues in the city. 

• Read More: The ticket levy that could save grassroots venues and artists: what happens next?
  

The Craufurd Arms, MK11, The Stables and Unit Nine are the venues to benefit, and the money will be used to put on new DJ nights and free shows, while providing platforms for emerging talent in the area. 

The Craufurd Arms intends to use the cash on a programme of live showcases for local bands, while MK11 will host a run of free gigs to make live music more accessible while ensuring that artists are paid fairly at the same time. 

Unit Nine, meanwhile, is set to grow its FUTURE SOUNDS events to give emerging DJs and producers the chance to play in front of hundreds and gain invaluable experience. 

The Music Venue Trust’s definition of a Grassroots Music Venue helped identify who was eligible for support. Councillor Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, explained: “As Milton Keynes grows and exciting new entertainment locations and opportunities come forward, it’s important that the incredible independent music venues crucial to the cultural scene in our city aren’t forgotten.”

She continued: “These are where many bands and artists make their start, where music can be more accessible and affordable, and where many of us have memories of nights out with friends. I can’t wait to see the benefits of this funding in action.”

The news comes after artists across the UK were invited to apply for a slice of £125,000 worth of funding to help tackle “the cost of touring crisis” earlier this month. 30 grassroots venues were lost forever between July 2024 and July 2025, with more than half of remaining venues seeing no profit and over 6,000 jobs lost in 2025. 

The new UKAT fund, which has now closed, was put together by the Featured Artist Coalition (FAC) – in partnership with Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Musicians’ Union (MU). The first phase offers proceeds of £125,000, collected from LIVE Trust donations as part of voluntary “levy” ticket contributions from the likes of Sam Fender, Harry Styles, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Enter Shikari, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, Ed Sheeran, Take That, The Cure, Kojey Radical, Foo Fighters and more.

In January, Creative Industries Minister Ian Murray urged more major venues, artists and promoters to adopt the levy, saying: “We now want to see more major players in the music industry step up and back the voluntary ticket levy. I urge all major venues, artists and promoters to adopt the levy on stadium and arena concerts, with £1 from every ticket sold going directly to support the industry at the grassroots.”

In December, the UK music sector warned the government in an open letter over rises in business rates that “hundreds of grassroots venues will close and arena gig ticket prices will increase”. 

Last month, meanwhile, the Music Venue Trust and The National Lottery teamed up for “the UK’s biggest festival on your doorstep,” ‘Everywhere At Once’. The festival is set to debut on what would have been Glastonbury weekend this year – it’s taking 2026 off for a fallow year – and will take place at grassroots music venues across the country. 

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