Scottish Liberal Democrats welcome Edinburgh Jazz Bar re-opening as social enterprise

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today welcomed the re-opening of the Edinburgh Jazz Bar as a social enterprise under new ownership.

In April, it was announced that The Jazz Bar, an iconic music venue in Edinburgh, would close after almost 20 years. Founded in 2005, the venue played host to a huge variety of musicians and was an integral part of the city’s music community.

The venue’s website indicated that the cost-of-living crisis and operational challenges “proved too much” to carry on running.

Today, it was announced The Jazz Bar would be re-opening as a non-profit social enterprise with new owners who have "deep connections" to the bar.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“The Jazz Bar’s closure in April cut deep into the heart of the city’s cultural landscape, so it is a huge relief to see it reopening under new ownership.

"Sadly, The Jazz Bar is far from the only cultural venue and initiative, such as the Screen Machine and the Edinburgh Filmhouse, to have come under increasing threat on the SNP's watch.

“The SNP love to masquerade as advocates for Scottish culture. Yet, in reality, they are slashing the culture budget, cutting money from local government and failing to support businesses with the cost of living.

“The near closure of The Jazz Bar needs to serve as a warning sign for the state of Scottish culture under the SNP. We need to see the Scottish Government investing for the future to preserve Scotland’s proud musical, artistic and literary history, and working with the UK Government to help ease the strains on businesses struggling to stay afloat.”