On May 13, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee returned to the issue of grassroots music, and we saw something that’s become increasingly familiar in recent years – a sector trying to lead itself, while waiting for a government that still hasn’t quite shown up.

A year on from the Committee’s report into grassroots music venues (GMVs), the picture should have shifted. There was consensus in that report, agreement from across the music industry and public support. Even the ...