Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced emergency funding for some of London’s LGBT+ venues struggling with COVID-19. The grants, totalling £128,500, are spread over 11 venues.
They include the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern cabaret venue and nightclub Fire. The venues get between £5,000 and £23,000 each.
Khan’s office says the funds will help short-term with rent, staffing and supplier costs. However, another venue owner, Jeremy Joseph from leading bar and nightclub operator G-A-Y, has dismissed the grants.
He labels them a ‘token gesture’. And he told GSN that Khan let down London’s night time economy by backing the new 10pm curfew on venues which the government argues will help reduce the spread of coronavirus.