Culture Secretary under fire for Taskforce membership

Julian Knight MP, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
29 May 2020

BAME arts leaders, the community arts sector and the Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee have all raised concerns that those with the ear of Government are not representative of the sector.

Music lobby gathers steam and support

Musicians' Union 'keep music live' sticker
14 May 2020

Proposals for a taskforce to help ‘get the music industry back on its feet’ and a petition to increase royalties for streamed music are among the latest measures aimed at putting pressure on the Government to support the music industry.

Local authority leaders propose a coordinated post-Covid ‘reset’

Reading Hexagon theatre
08 May 2020

Delivering solutions to social and economic problems after the pandemic will require policy-makers in different areas to “re-think received wisdom” about how they should function, and collaborate more closely rather than ‘jostle for space at the table’.

A fairer Lottery – would it work here?

woman buying a lottery ticket in a shop
30 Apr 2020

Elsewhere in the world national lotteries are being run in ways that don’t rely on the profits from gambling, while providing an incentive for businesses to pay their taxes. Are there lessons to be learned? Graeme Bennett looks at the evidence.

After the crisis – a new model for the arts?

A photo from the production of Warhorse
15 Apr 2020

Subsidy doesn’t shield or separate arts activities from the economic system; it enables them to be part of it, says Stephen Hetherington. Wringing more value out of creative assets could deliver new sources of finance.

The Other Side – what should it look like and how can we get there?

Photo of the sun rising through a forest
15 Apr 2020

As governments start to draw up plans for supporting the post-virus cultural sector, the voices of those working in it are the most important. Liz Hill introduces a new series of articles. 

Crises can bring out our best selves: let’s not waste yet another one

A photo of people dancing on a dancefloor
15 Apr 2020

Post-Covid, the twin pillars of cultural policy should be social justice and environmental concern – but collectively we have been failing on both counts. Can this pandemic finally spur us on to make a better world, asks John Holden.

Cultural Industries brief for former Shadow Culture Secretary Tracy Brabin

Tracy Brabin image
10 Apr 2020

The Labour MP’s recent report on the role of culture confronted “the perception, and the reality” that arts, culture and creativity are middle class pastimes with too great a focus on London and the South East.

Committee invites evidence to support a review of Covid-19 emergency measures

09 Apr 2020

Urgent letters to the Chancellor of the Exchequer are already highlighting the plight of arts workers and businesses falling through the financial safety nets in place for employed and self-employed workers.

Falling between the cracks

String section of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
08 Apr 2020

The financial fallout from the cancellation and postponement of hundreds of orchestral performances is taking a heavy toll on both orchestras and musicians. Mark Pemberton explains the issues – and what the ABO is doing about them.

Covid-19: Funders reveal plans for the survival of the sector

02 Apr 2020

£11m for Scotland, £7m for Wales and £1m for Northern Ireland as their arts councils announce plans to support organisations and creative workers.

Museums' infrastructure is crumbling – literally

30 Mar 2020

As cultural venues sit empty, a national audit finds the UK's museums in dire condition.

Covid-19: Disability top of mind for DCMS

30 Mar 2020

Disabled artists say their safety, security and insight into limited lifestyles are crucial during this crisis. 

Victory: sector celebrates pay protection for self-employed

27 Mar 2020

As stopgap measures grow in number, some arts workers will still fall through the cracks.

£160m emergency response package for the arts

24 Mar 2020

Arts Council England has drawn on reserves and Lottery grants to save the sector from an "unsustainable loss of revenues".

Mounting pressure to protect freelancers' income

23 Mar 2020

Surveys say 70% fear they can't pay the bills, 60% expect their income to halve and 50% have lost all their scheduled work.

'Don't wash your hands of us': Creative sector demands more support

20 Mar 2020

Arts workers, unions and membership organisations react to UK-wide closures and the “unmanageable risks” presented by the lack of an enforced directive. 

£330bn Covid-19 package 'not enough help to freelancers'

18 Mar 2020

Plans are in place for Government-backed loans, but sector leaders say they fail to support the freelance arts workforce.

Covid-19: Funders pledge flexibility to save the sector

18 Mar 2020

Grant funding will be ‘refocussed’ as freelancers rally to support each other – but there may not be enough cash to go around. 

The show must go on? Increasing cancellations due to Covid-19

13 Mar 2020

Sector bodies have thanked audiences for continuing to attend shows as a growing number of performances, tours and events are cancelled and postponed.

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