{"id":866072,"date":"2026-04-02T01:49:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/866072\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T01:49:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:49:30","slug":"mu-backs-free-the-night-campaign-for-licensing-reform-in-northern-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/866072\/","title":{"rendered":"MU Backs Free The Night Campaign for Licensing Reform in Northern Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n We urge all members to sign the open letter to pledge their support for the campaign. Photo: Shutterstock. <\/p>\n

Northern Ireland\u2019s restrictive alcohol licensing rules are making it harder for new venues to open and for musicians to earn a living.<\/p>\n

An independent review of the system, led by the University of Stirling<\/a> in 2025, highlighted significant structural problems and recommended major reform, including changes to the surrender principle that limits the number of licensed premises. The report made clear that the current framework is outdated, restrictive and no longer fit for purpose.<\/p>\n

In particular, the surrender principle continues to act as a significant barrier to new and independent venues, limiting cultural development and economic opportunity.<\/p>\n

The surrender principle effectively places an artificial cap on the number of premises licensed to sell alcohol in Northern Ireland, meaning a new venue can only get a licence if an existing one closes. Compared with other UK regions, the system is uniquely restrictive. In practice, it creates a closed market where licences are scarce and expensive.<\/p>\n

Impact on musicians\u2019 livelihoods<\/p>\n

This is not only a cultural issue for Northern Ireland, it is also a workers\u2019 rights issue affecting livelihoods.<\/p>\n

For our members \u2013 working musicians and creative professionals \u2013 these restrictions have direct and damaging consequences. A lack of accessible, sustainable venues reduces opportunities to perform, earn income, and build or sustain careers. It undermines the grassroots infrastructure that is essential to a healthy cultural ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Despite clear, evidence-based recommendations, the decision to maintain the status quo represents a missed opportunity to support culture, retain talent and grow the nighttime economy.<\/p>\n

We urge all members to sign the open letter to pledge support for the campaign<\/p>\n

The MU therefore joins Free The Night<\/a> \u2013 the only charitable organisation in the UK committed to creating a safe, progressive and culturally rich environment for nightlife \u2013 in calling on the Minister for Communities to take meaningful, transparent and evidence-led action.<\/p>\n

This must include serious engagement with the Stirling review and a commitment to delivering licensing reform that enables cultural spaces and nighttime activity to flourish.<\/p>\n

Northern Ireland\u2019s musicians, audiences, visitors and communities deserve a modern licensing system that supports creativity, access and growth.<\/p>\n

Now is the time to act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We urge all members to sign the open letter to pledge their support for the campaign.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":866073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5011],"tags":[47049,47044,47034,47039,47043,47042,47046,47050,47048,47035,47038,1144,47045,47041,47036,47037,47047,16,47040,15],"class_list":["post-866072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-northern-ireland","tag-collective-power-of-musicians","tag-membership-for-musicians","tag-mu","tag-mu-music","tag-musician-association","tag-musician-collective","tag-musicians-company","tag-musicians-lobbying-the-government","tag-musicians-trade-union","tag-musicians-union","tag-musicians-union-uk","tag-northern-ireland","tag-representation-of-musicians-uk","tag-society-of-musicians","tag-the-mu","tag-the-musicians-union","tag-trade-union-power","tag-uk","tag-union-for-musicians","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116332604252461658","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}