Approximately a third of the UK’s creative workforce are self-employed, higher than the national average of 15%. This poses extreme difficulties for the Creative Industries and many self-employed/freelancers have reported a loss of income due to projects folding. A recent poll by the Creative industries Federation has discovered that a staggering 49% of the UK’s freelancers have confirmed that 100% of their work has been cancelled since the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s clear from this result that new measures are needed to help the self-employed and some form of hardship funding will be required.
The Creative Industries Federation and IPSE are lobbying to get the government to create a Temporary Income Protection Fund to support freelancers through the Coronavirus crisis. The idea is for a time-limited, targeted injection of funds to keep businesses afloat over the coming months and cover basic income costs like food and rent. Sign the petition here
The announcement of the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund which received a £1m donation from Netflix will be administered by The Film and TV Charity, with support from the BFI. It will provide emergency short-term relief to the many thousands of active workers and freelancers who have been directly affected by the closure of productions across the UK. Info here.
Arts Council have also launched new emergency funds. Highlights include:
- National Portfolio Organisations will be able to request an advance of up to six months of their 2020-21 funding in April.
- A £160m emergency response package to support individual artists, freelancers and cultural organisations. This will help individuals and organisations focus on two things: sustaining their livelihoods and businesses, and developing creative responses to the Covid-19 crisis, to help buoy the public for its duration.
- The postponement of our National Portfolio Organisation investment process, due to begin this autumn, and the rolling over of our current National Portfolio for one year, to 2023.
- The emergency response package will comprise £20m for creative practitioners and freelancers, £50m for organisations who aren’t in our National Portfolio, and £90m for National Portfolio Organisations.
Further guidance for individuals on the new fund are also now published here. Artists and a wide range of creative practitioners will be eligible for cash grants up to £2,500. Alongside a £16m fund which Arts Council will administer, they are also planning to make additional grants of up to £4m to benevolent funds, for other cultural workers.
Organisations outside the National Portfolio will be able to apply for grants of up to £35k, and conditions for those already receiving funding from us through National Lottery Project Grants will be relaxed where relevant.
BBC Arts with Arts Council England, as part of an ongoing relationship, is launching a Culture in Quarantine fund for around 25 established England-based artists of any discipline to produce new works in creative media - video, audio and interactive.
OXLEP put out a call on social media platforms for Oxfordshire Creatives to let us know what the impact is so far. Headlines to be shared shortly. Also general information for all businesses and guidance can be found here.
In our latest vlog, Strategy Development Executive Helen Ryan-Wallis discusses how businesses within the Oxfordshire creative and cultural sector are being affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
How can the creative industries come together to share how Covid-19 is impacting the sector?
On a national level, many of our partners are conducting surveys. Whilst this is not an ideal time for many to partake due to the saddening situation people are finding themselves in, it does help get a true picture of the unfolding impacts the crisis is having on the creative sector. This will then allow policymakers to best target their support efforts.Colleagues at the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre are coordinating data and findings.
A snapshot of #Creativeindustries POSITIVE News to report from Oxfordshire
TechTribe: ‘’When the world turned upside down, @AiCharisma's plans to launch its #graphicnovel #storytelling #app at @sxsw in Texas were put on hold. Read how they stayed in Oxford, went virtual and launched it anyway’’ https://buff.ly/2Ubwjzdhttps://oxford.techtribe.co/the-story-continues-oxford-firm-launches-ai-powered-interactive-graphic-novel-app/
@RebellionPub have made 2 of the brilliant Roy of the Rovers stories free to download! There's even a graphic novel for children who struggle with text-only books.
Finally, should you need extra advice these two organisations provide valuable advice for the sector:
https://www.creativeengland.co.uk/covid-19-guidance/
https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/news/covid-19-guidance-sector
Voluntary Arts has launched #CreativeNetwork – a daily online get-together for anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity.
