Unique Venues Birmingham consults on job cuts

Unique Venues Birmingham (UVB) has announced it is in redundancy consultations with 20 members of staff.

UVB is a commercial venture between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Library of Birmingham which offers conferencing and hospitality opportunities within the shared building on Centenary Square in the centre of the city.

It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham Repertory Theatre, jointly governed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham City Council.

The company said it is not directly affected by Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s recent announcement of redundancy consultations but continues to face the “same challenges and tough decisions as the rest of the wider entertainment, conferencing and events industry”.

UVB said this has resulted in its own redundancy consultations with 20 members of staff.

A statement said: “We continue to explore different ways in which the suspension of theatre performances might provide us with more capacity than usual for conferencing and events in the coming months, dependent on government advice. This may provide welcome additional revenue for both The REP and the Library of Birmingham.

“We await clarity on a reopening date for conferences & events venues plus details of financial support for the sector which provides 700,000 jobs to skilled workers and contributes £70bn annually to the economy.”

Last week, Birmingham Repertory Theatre warned that 40% of its staff could lose their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was closely followed by news that up to half of jobs at Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall were also at risk.