A letter to the government warns of the impact of coronavirus on those working in creative professions.
More than 130 MPs and peers have backed a call for a specific package of support to be provided for the UK’s creative industries during the coronavirus pandemic.
The letter to the government warns how the current support provided as part of the coronavirus crisis has so far failed to reach workers in the creative industry, including freelancers, small limited companies and agency workers. The letter has so far been signed by more than 60 MPs including Michael Grade, Joan Bakewell, Floella Benjamin and David Puttnam.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem spokesperson for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) who helped to coordinate the letter, has used Germany as an example of how appropriate action was taken to support their creative industry. In comparison, the UK’s response has been too slow and has put one of the fastest-growing parts of the UK economy at risk.
Written to Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, and Rishi Sunak, chancellor of the exchequer, this letter calls to the government to hold a virtual forum with leading groups and businesses within the creative industries in order to agree on measures for the government to take to provide much-needed support for this industry and establish a timeline in which to implement it.
The chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation, Caroline Norbury, has also commented: “With theatres, venues, museums and galleries closing, film shoots being postponed and festivals being cancelled, many creative professionals are facing an uncertain future.”
She also noted how the creative industries will be vital forces in driving the UK’s recovery once the coronavirus pandemic is over.
