An online petition has been launched to stop The Leadmill from being evicted by the building’s landlord and forcing them out of business.
The famed venue is now reaching out to the citizens of Sheffield and beyond, as well as friends and colleagues in the music industry, to show their support in any way that they can.
The official petition, hosted on parliament.uk, aims to prevent landlords from unfairly evicting long-standing tenants for their own financial gain. They hope that suspending Section 25 of the Landlord and Tenant Act (Grounds C to G) can help to protect vulnerable businesses who lease the buildings from which they operate, especially considering that 93% of Grassroots Music Venues in the UK do not own the buildings that they operate within.
The venue released the following statement on the motivation behind this move: “In circumstances where a tenant has invested a huge quantity of money, time and effort in establishing themselves, has paid rent on time (even throughout Covid-19 Lockdowns) and has improved the fabric of the premises beyond recognition, it is inconceivable that the Landlord should be able to evict and inherit the investment that the tenant has made. The Leadmill is a valuable asset to the community and an integral part of the local culture which cannot be destroyed in this way.”
In order for the petition to be considered for debate in Parliament, it needs to reach 100,000 signatures. You can sign and show your support here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/614202
PS: Exposed are currently in the process of compiling a love letter to The Leadmill for our next issue, and we want to hear your memories of the venue. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, drop us a line at joe@exposedmagazine.co.uk.
