London venue Rich Mix threatened with closure

East London venue Rich Mix has been threatened with closure. A dispute between the establishment and the local council (Tower Hamlets) is currently ongoing, relating to repayments for a loan. The sum of the money owed is unknown.

The venue has since launched a petition via change.org, stating:

“The dispute is over the repayment of an amount of money that Tower Hamlets is demanding be made in one go, which would result in the closure of Rich Mix,” the petition reads. We have made offers to the council to settle the amount owed by making payments over a period of time, but the council have rejected this resolution and continue to spend council tax payers money on this unnecessary legal action. We want to stress the devastating impact that closure of Rich Mix will have on artistic and local community life, if this much loved community facility were to close.”

So far, nearly 7,000 signatures have been reached to save the Bethnal Green arts space. For more details, head to the petition page here.