Latest news with #ClaireBaker
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
CalMac ferry Glen Rosa flooded in new Ferguson Marine setback
The latter did enter service between Troon and Arran in January this year, with Glen Rosa due to be delivered "no earlier" than April 2026. The ship was launched last year but The Times reports it has suffered a new setback. Read More: According to the newspaper, Glen Rosa's funnels were fitted purely for aesthetic purposes for the launch and the vents later had to be removed to fit components including engine parts. The gap was not sealed after the removal of the funnel and the ship was flooded by heavy rain on the Clyde two weeks ago. The total cost of the two ferries is now around £400million, well in excess of the £97m specified in the contract. Claire Baker, the Scottish Labour transport spokeswoman, told The Times: 'This is yet another embarrassing mishap in the SNP's seemingly endless ferry fiasco. The workers at this yard have been let down time and time again by the chaos created by those at the top, including the SNP government.' Sue Webber, the Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for transport, said: 'There seems to be no end to the mishaps afflicting the Glen Rosa. This latest fiasco with its funnels should have been easily avoided.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Live music venues contributed £14m to economy last year but operated on thin profits
The Scottish Government is being urged to enforce rates relief for grassroots music venues, with a report finding they subsidised live music by £14million last year. The Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents hundreds of grassroots venues in the UK, releases an annual report detailing the conditions of the live scene. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the trust launched its 2024 report at Holyrood on Monday with a special event for politicians, policy makers, venues and key stakeholders featuring a performance from Indoor Foxes and keynote speeches from Michelle Thomson MSP and Claire Baker MSP. A survey of the 70 members of the Music Venues Alliance Scotland, who employ over 2600 people, found that they staged over 14,000 live events comprising over 128,000 individual artist performances given to a total audience of just over 1.6 million live music fans. Read More: Scots singer Amy Macdonald announces major tour including Glasgow Hydro date Sauchiehall Street music festival announced as part of bid to reinvent area 'Record shops don't make a lot of money' – but Assai Records is a success story The total direct value to the Scottish economy from these events was over £45.4 million however, on average, grassroots music venues (33% of which are now registered as not-for-profit entities - a 29% increase in not-for-profit registration since 2023) operated on a profit margin of just 0.48% with 43.8% of them reporting a loss in the last 12 months. The sector as a whole effectively subsidised live music activity in Scotland to the tune of £14m. The report highlights a huge decline in locations on the UK's primary and secondary touring circuits. In the 30 year period between 1994 and 2024 those touring locations have collapsed, with an average tour in 1994 including 22 dates and the equivalent tour in 2024 consisting of only 11 dates. Furthermore, touring in 1994 was spread across a range of 28 different locations across the country. In 2024, just 12 locations, all of them major cities, remained as primary and secondary touring circuit stops, acting as regular hosts to grassroots tours. Only one location in Scotland remains on the national touring circuit, Glasgow, with even Edinburgh struggling to be included on the majority of national tours by new and emerging artists. In Scotland, this means swathes of the country have been cut off altogether from the opportunity to see the hottest new acts, resulting in people having to travel further or simply being unable to access new live music at all. The report underlines a decrease in the total number of live music shows (down 8.3% since 2023) accompanied by an even steeper decline in ticket revenues (down 13.5% since 2023). The Scottish Government has committed to giving a 40% rate relief to venues with a capacity of up to 1,500 and the MVT has urged ministers to ensure that is enforced. Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said, 'The 2024 Annual Report recognises that after 10 years of work by MVT a very broad consensus has been built among politicians, industry, artists and the public that grassroots music venues must be protected, supported, encouraged and nurtured. In 2025 and beyond, we have to see that consensus bring forward positive, practical interventions in the real world. "Venues, despite all the very welcome good intentions and acknowledgements they are receiving for their vital work, are still closing, still under extreme and totally unnecessary financial pressures, still failing to be recognised, as everyone agrees they should and must be, when government designs policy, taxation, and legislation. "It isn't good enough to keep saying how much we all value them, we've got to practically do something about it. We need action not words.' Stina Tweeddale, Scotland Coordinator, Music Venue Trust said 'In Scotland, MSPs have an immediate opportunity to deliver that action. They can act right now to ensure that the commitment that every Grassroots Music Venue under 1500 cap would receive Rate Relief in 2025/26 actually happens. "At the moment a significant number of key venues will be excluded from that relief, against the commitment made by Scottish Government and against the best interests of live music in Scotland.'
The Herald Scotland
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Music Venues Trust urges action on grassroots music venues
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the trust launched its 2024 report at Holyrood on Monday with a special event for politicians, policy makers, venues and key stakeholders featuring a performance from Indoor Foxes and keynote speeches from Michelle Thomson MSP and Claire Baker MSP. A survey of the 70 members of the Music Venues Alliance Scotland, who employ over 2600 people, found that they staged over 14,000 live events comprising over 128,000 individual artist performances given to a total audience of just over 1.6 million live music fans. Read More: The total direct value to the Scottish economy from these events was over £45.4 million however, on average, grassroots music venues (33% of which are now registered as not-for-profit entities - a 29% increase in not-for-profit registration since 2023) operated on a profit margin of just 0.48% with 43.8% of them reporting a loss in the last 12 months. The sector as a whole effectively subsidised live music activity in Scotland to the tune of £14m. The report highlights a huge decline in locations on the UK's primary and secondary touring circuits. In the 30 year period between 1994 and 2024 those touring locations have collapsed, with an average tour in 1994 including 22 dates and the equivalent tour in 2024 consisting of only 11 dates. Furthermore, touring in 1994 was spread across a range of 28 different locations across the country. In 2024, just 12 locations, all of them major cities, remained as primary and secondary touring circuit stops, acting as regular hosts to grassroots tours. Only one location in Scotland remains on the national touring circuit, Glasgow, with even Edinburgh struggling to be included on the majority of national tours by new and emerging artists. In Scotland, this means swathes of the country have been cut off altogether from the opportunity to see the hottest new acts, resulting in people having to travel further or simply being unable to access new live music at all. The report underlines a decrease in the total number of live music shows (down 8.3% since 2023) accompanied by an even steeper decline in ticket revenues (down 13.5% since 2023). The Scottish Government has committed to giving a 40% rate relief to venues with a capacity of up to 1,500 and the MVT has urged ministers to ensure that is enforced. Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said, 'The 2024 Annual Report recognises that after 10 years of work by MVT a very broad consensus has been built among politicians, industry, artists and the public that grassroots music venues must be protected, supported, encouraged and nurtured. In 2025 and beyond, we have to see that consensus bring forward positive, practical interventions in the real world. "Venues, despite all the very welcome good intentions and acknowledgements they are receiving for their vital work, are still closing, still under extreme and totally unnecessary financial pressures, still failing to be recognised, as everyone agrees they should and must be, when government designs policy, taxation, and legislation. "It isn't good enough to keep saying how much we all value them, we've got to practically do something about it. We need action not words.' Stina Tweeddale, Scotland Coordinator, Music Venue Trust said 'In Scotland, MSPs have an immediate opportunity to deliver that action. They can act right now to ensure that the commitment that every Grassroots Music Venue under 1500 cap would receive Rate Relief in 2025/26 actually happens. "At the moment a significant number of key venues will be excluded from that relief, against the commitment made by Scottish Government and against the best interests of live music in Scotland.'
