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“Challenging” conversations between cultural venues and their contract caterers are likely to be taking place as the lockdown is eased, warns a new report published by the Association of Cultural Enterprises.

Contracts are likely to be re-negotiated, with some suppliers attempting to end contracts that won’t be financially viable, and some cultural venues deciding to close their catering provision for a period of time.

The report points out that, to achieve break-even, contract catering companies often need around 70% occupancy, so with most venues are expected to be operating at only 25-50% of capacity, caterers that continue trading are likely to be under severe pressure. Volatile food prices and extra costs for using disposable goods and buying PPE will reduce already squeezed margins. Offering takeaway food is unlikely to make trading any more viable.

In house catering teams may be keener to ‘get something going’ and maintain a catering presence, the report says. Venues are looking at all available space to extend trading opportunities, though financial investment may be needed to develop new catering concepts and an adapted offer.

The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group is urging Arts Council England to restore its National Lottery Project Grants Scheme "if ACE is not to make worse an already bad situation for jazz music in the culture-funding pecking-order". The group, which currently has well over 100 members from the House of Commons and House of Lords across all political parties, warns that bands and musicians whose current live work has been cancelled, will find themselves with no work next year if  "a relatively modest investment" isn't made to enable them to set up their 2021 bookings. They described as "particularly unhelpful" ACE CEO Darren Henley's response to their concerns, which noted that "protecting the infrastructure of venues used by performing artists required the Arts Council's full capacity at present".

A new 'open cultural platform' aiming to reflect the whole of Wales' bilingual artistic ecosystem has seen 70% growth over the ten weeks of the lockdown. 150 channels now distribute Wales’ latest creative work on the online platform AM, presenting content ranging from National Theatre Wales and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to the National Eisteddfod, Literature Wales and event promoter Span Arts. Lorne Campbell, Artistic Director, National Theatre Wales said: “It is of huge value to Wales to have a platform that can work in innovative ways across forms and connect artists and audiences as the world continues to shift under our feet.”

A move by Australia's state cultural ministers to extend the jobkeeper wage subsidy to help the struggling cultural sector has been blocked by the Federal Government. Ministers discussed "eligibility rules being broadened to support the significant number of organisations, freelance and casual artists and arts workers, and employees of publicly owned or operated arts and cultural facilities that have been unable to access the program”. But the proposals went beyond what Paul Fletcher, Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, was willing to endorse, and a teleconference meeting "ended in a standoff".