Sheffield music venue The Leadmill offers £40 to protest at council meeting

The Leadmill bosses claim they were being 'forced out of business'

The operators of Sheffield music venue The Leadmill have offered to pay people to protest outside a council meeting to decide its future, the BBC has learned.

Councillors will meet later this month to consider an application by building owners, The Electric Group, to take over the venue's premises licence.

In response venue bosses have offered £40 to people to stand outside the meeting and post on social media.

They said it was to "ensure the rally is professionally and safely managed".

The Electric Group bought the venue in 2017 and in 2022 served notice of eviction on the current tenants, requiring them to vacate the property by March 2023.

While the current tenants have claimed the owners are "planning to evict us and close us down" the CEO of Brixton-based Electric Group Dominic Madden has said the venue is "incredibly important [and] it's not going anywhere".

Since the eviction notice was served musicians, MPs and others who have performed at the Leadmill - including the Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs and Charlatan's frontman Tim Burgess - have called for it to be saved from closure.

The Google sign-up form, which has since closed

Supporters were offered money in exchange for social media posts

When asked about the offer to pay people to gather outside the city's Town Hall ahead of the meeting The Leadmill said: "We are encouraging The Leadmill's supporters to attend a rally outside on that morning.

"We don't know how many people will turn up and as The Leadmill staff will likely be in the hearing itself, we have teamed up with Gosh to ensure the rally is professionally and safely managed by some of their team outside.

"Gosh are a company that we use regularly and we have a strong relationship with. They are obviously being paid for their time to do so."

Responding to the news, Mr Madden said the "decision to resort to renting a crowd outside Sheffield Town Hall on the day of the licensing hearing is a clear indication that public interest in their campaign is waning.

"Paying people £40 to stand outside of the hall is a move that reeks of cynicism, as it attempts to manipulate the licensing process and unduly influence Sheffield Council.

"We've consistently maintained that we will invest in the Leadmill to ensure it remains an inclusive, vibrant music and arts venue, of which Sheffield can be rightly proud for years to come."

The two-day licensing committee meeting will take place on 18 September.