Budget a ‘missed opportunity’ for authors

The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) has called the Budget a "missed opportunity" and says it is disappointed the Treasury has not responded to calls to increase the Public Lending Right (PLR) fund.

Barbara Hayes, Deputy Chief Executive of ALCS said: "We have consistently campaigned for an increase to the PLR fund over the past year, offering a reasonable and targeted way in which the Government could offer support to authors who have been central to keeping the country entertained through books and programmes during the pandemic."

ALCS further said the Chancellor has failed to properly review the eligibility for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

While welcoming the change in criteria to enabled those newly self-employed in 2019/2020 to receive support, it said this "does not address ongoing problems experienced by many creative freelancers".