Ed Sheeran rebukes Royal Albert Hall over concert tickets costing 30 times their face value | CPT PPP Coverage

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Ed Sheeran has rebuked the Royal Albert Hall over inflated ticket prices amid plans to create 72 seats that will be sold to investors rather than the public.

The musician’s team sent a message to the venue as it emerged that seats for his gig next month are selling online for 30 times their face value.

It comes after concerns that the London venue is becoming increasingly commercialised, with members of the public being shut out as a result.

Peers on Thursday will open debate on a new law that would grant the governing body of the hall the power to oversee the sale of 72 newly created seats.

Lord Hodgson, a former Tory MP, will argue in the chamber that the legislation should be halted so that ordinary music lovers can benefit from the expansion.

‘Long-suffering taxpayer’

He said: “The Royal Albert Hall is a charity which has a public benefit objective but also a worryingly commercial agenda perpetuated by the conflict of interest inherent in its governance structure which means the Hall is controlled by seat-holders.

“I recognise the right of seat-holders to sell their seats, but this right cannot properly be extended to those seat-holders and their families who are also trustees and so ultimately govern the hall.

“Nor should they be able to decide the terms of sale of these new seats where they themselves may well be interested in purchasing them.

“And I think it’s only right that any proceeds from the sale of these seats should in priority go to repay the long-suffering taxpayer.”