CURRENT PETITIONS & SURVEYS
PETITION - SEISS for those who have been self employed for less than 3 years.
New comers to self employment, ie. those who haven’t had a full years returns, must have some kind of basic payment scheme to help support themselves and their families. We must be treated equally to every taxpayer. There seems to be a void filled with this group of self employed people that have been overlooked by Westminster.
COVID & PEOPLE OF COLOUR WORKING IN THE ARTS
COVID-19 and People of Colour working in the Arts
Our hopes, fears – and need for change
Complete this survey. It is about the impact of COVID-19 on the Black, Asian and ethnically diverse arts workforce.
“Coronavirus is having an impact on us as creators, as arts leaders and as part of the creative workforce.
It’s important that we are collectively visible within the sector, and to government. Your contribution will be anonymous. We will share your anonymised feedback with Tracy Brabin MP, who will use it to hold government to account as we reset the arts and creative communities.
SCENE CHANGE - WHO ARE WE?
If you are designer (or even if not) please fill out this survey if you haven’t already. The data is for a top secret, really fun, project and it would be really very helpful to hear from you.
HISTORIC PETITIONS & SURVEYS
OPEN LETTER - Securing a Europe-wide visa waiver and cultural passport agreement for UK Touring Professionals and Artists
Last week, we gathered in support of the Carry on Touring Campaign’s UK-EU Summit to call on the UK Government to act.
As you know, the failure to secure an exemption in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to allow EU-wide cultural work permit and visa free travel for those on tour will have a catastrophic impact on both the UK’s and EU’s cultural economies. All touring art forms will be affected and in particular young and emerging artists. Without a return to the negotiating table many jobs and livelihoods will be lost; as well as income for crew, haulage and production, at a time when the sector desperately needs a lifeline.
Carry on Touring is the UK’s umbrella campaign which all those who work in the creative sector, and rely on touring for their income, can support and sit under. It brings together voices from across the touring, cultural and creative industries to secure political and public support for Tim Brennan’s petition, which has almost 300,000 signatures to date.
PETITION - Save V&A Theatre & Performance Department
The UK has an extraordinary theatre and performance heritage. The performing arts objects, archives and library cared for by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) represent the largest and most important resource in the area, supporting scholarship and learning, providing enjoyment and inspiration for people around the world.
The V&A have decided to close the department of Theatre and Performance as part of a massive organisational remodelling of the structure of the museum moving into a new structure. This will have a disproportionate and devastating effect on these collections and on the pool of knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm that underpin them and help to make them accessible.
SURVEY - ExcludedUK Survey: February 2021
our responses will help us significantly in furthering our lobbying activities ahead of the budget on 3 March 2021 and beyond.
The more individuals we hear from, the more detailed a picture we can present of the issues affecting those who have been excluded from government Covid-19 support.
Being excluded means you have not received any meaningful UK government Covid-19 support during the pandemic.
Many who have received something shy away from calling themselves excluded but it’s important that we’re able to present the scale of the issue and paint as detailed a picture as possible. We exist to call for parity and fairness for all who have been excluded, so please add your voice and help us in our lobbying efforts to seek redress.
You can support us by answering the questions below as fully as you can.
PETITION - Seek Europe-wide Visa-free work permit for Touring professionals and Artists
We would like the UK Govt to negotiate a free cultural work permit that gives us visa free travel throughout the 27 EU states for music touring professionals, bands, musicians, artists, TV and sports celebrities that tour the EU to perform shows and events & Carnet exception for touring equipment.
The UK has a huge music / event touring industry which has suffered immensely due to Covid. After the end of the transition period, we face further hardship when trying to tour the EU on a professional basis, with potentially each country asking for its own visa, that would be valid only for one trip, As a freelancer I and many like me travel through the EU countless times a year on different tours and events, this will become impossible due to cost and time if we do not have visa free travel.
PETITION - Extend the suspension of the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to thousands of self-employed workers seeing a massive reduction in trade. For many, Universal Credit has been the only way to survive, and the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF) has meant that their actual income has been used to calculate their payments
There are many self-employed who are still unable to fully return to work and are facing a benefits cliff-edge on the 13th November when the MIF is reinstated. The reinstatement will lead to many losing their Universal Credit payments entirely and therefore may be unable to afford the basic human needs of rent, food, heat, and bills over the winter months and beyond.
We ask that the MIF suspension is extended for 6 months in line with the new Winter Economic Plan.
Support the four pillar plan for recovery in the performing arts & entertainment
Via Equity
Government must implement the 4 pillar plan for recovery in the performing arts & entertainment:
1 Workforce Protection: financial help for all creative workers
2 Safe Opening: including ticketing subsidies
3 Protecting Infrastructure: beyond the mainstream arts
4 Equality: no one left behind
Protection for Equity members & the creative industries
Via Change.org
The UK’s creative workers need and deserve an income guarantee.
The Government needs to talk to unions representing creative and freelance workers now in order to safeguard the creative industries and provide a real safety net for all workers.
38 DEGREES PETITION – SAVE THEATRES
Save theatres & entertainment industry all live music venues Cinemas & Pubs
SIGN THE PETITION to “Save the British Theatre & Television industries. We are calling for additional urgent government support. The pandemic has hugely disrupted the entertainment industry. Actors , Dancers , musicians can not social distance while fighting, kissing, twirling singing
Why is this important?
Theatre & Television sets are busy crowded places. The audience requires large numbers to huddle together. Theatres cannot be profitable while we are social distancing for so many reasons and unlike other industries, we cannot work from home. Furlough schemes only take us to October 2020, but the industry is unlikely to reopen until 2021. Bectu says
“ The industry is facing a potentially catastrophic impact from COVID 19 and government, employers and workers must come together to develop a strategy for our cultural sectors’ survival.”
The entertainment industry has never suffered such a crippling blow. The impact is unprecedented and we must protect this great British institution.”
38 DEGREES PETITION – SAVE THEATRES
SIGN THE PETITION from PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS –
Unless our government acts now, most of Britain’s theatres, music venues and performing arts companies will be gone by the end of this year, as a result of the coronavirus lockdown and social distancing.
From your local music venue to the nation’s leading performance spaces, our whole arts and cultural landscape is on the brink of ruin.
In line with other countries, we call on the UK government to step up now, to prevent losing this vital and irreplaceable part of our society by:
1) Investing in the arts – with emergency funding to rescue our cultural infrastructure and to keep buildings open, and new public investment to boost our economic and social recovery
2) Sustaining the workforce – through job retention and financial support schemes, so we don’t lose our valued artists and arts companies
3) Supporting outside investment, including through changes to tax relief schemes and making a pledge to the future of Arts and culture
PETITION: RISHI SUNAK, SAVE THEATRES IN THE UK
RISHI SUNAK: SAVE THEATRE IN THE UK
SIGN THE PETITION: For Proper funding for UK Theatre
“Dear Rishi Sunak,
Theatres and venues across the UK are shutting permanently because you’re pushing us off a financial cliff edge with no recovery plan. We can’t reopen safely. It’s tens of thousands of jobs being lost and BILLIONS in revenue each year.
In your budget this week please allocate proper funding to save UK theatre including an Emergency Relief Fund and the creation of a new Cultural Investment Participation Scheme. “
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
Freedom of Information Request to Oliver Dowden
ADD YOUR SIGNATURE to this Request Under The Freedom Of Information Act 2000
“I am writing to request that you release all diary entries, howsoever recorded, relating to meetings or communications you have undertaken on the subject of the governments’ plans to safeguard the theatre industry during lockdown with government departments, individual colleagues, and members of the theatre industry and its bodies since March 1st 2020 in your capacity as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
On Thursday 25th June your office released a five point ‘roadmap’ plan which contains no dates and no specific information about financial support. I and many others are confused as to why, after three months of lobbying, letters, petitions, invitations to consultation, closures, redundancies, devastating economic impact and irrevocable losses to the arts, there is still no clear government plan to safeguard this industry during this crisis and prevent further closures and loss of livelihoods.
As a member of the industry you are employed to serve, I am requesting you release to me copies/transcriptions of diary entries relevant to the government’s response to the impact of lockdown on the theatre industry.”
Prospect - self employment survey October 2020
We need action, which is why Prospect is today launching a new Inquiry into the Future of Self-Employment, which is the first step in the next phase of our campaign for freelancers and the self-employed.
This inquiry brings together unions, politicians, policy experts and more to find solutions to the big challenges we face, like how to provide a proper safety net for the self-employed, how to make sure government understands self-employment, and how to make sure the benefits that self-employed people receive are fair compared to their taxes.
The first stage of the inquiry is a survey of self-employed and freelance workers and I would urge you to complete the survey and share it as widely as possible among your networks.
The more evidence we have – the stronger our voice will be.
BAME OVER?
What is BAMEOver?
We are tired of the acronym. So we – those of African and Asian descent, and those termed ‘minority ethnic’ are coming together to change the rules, and we’re taking it to government to make sure it’s game over for #BAMEOver.
BAME. BAMER. BME.
What do we prefer to be called? What do we call ourselves, and each other? Do we need terminology at all? Who needs a label anyway? Who decides? Why does it matter?
The Campaign so far
We’ve collected over 1000 responses already to our question, ‘What do you want to be called?’ If you haven’t already, add your voice to the discussion by filling out our 1-minute BAMEOver survey and please share with everyone you know who is affected by the acronym.
The Live Debate
Everyone who has (melanated) ‘skin in the game’ is invited to join the debate and take part in our live poll at 1pm on Friday 4th September to determine what terminology we most want to use.
You will have the chance to hear from specialists, activists and academics from all sectors and debate openly with each other as well as voting live. We’re taking the results of the survey and the live poll to parliament to lobby for change of use in government and media statistics.
You can register for tickets for the #BAMEOver Live Debate on 4th September, running from midday to 2pm here. Tickets are free.
MAKERS MAKE FOR THE NHS
Are you a theatre maker/working in live performance? Did you make PPE, masks, scrubs or visors for the NHS?
Then please fill out this survey.
Pass this message on and let’s show the world how much the arts care! More info: makersmakefornhs@gmail.com
PETITION: SUPPORT PERFORMERS & CREATORS
Provide financial support to performers and creators during the COVID-19 crisis
SIGN THE PETITION to “Provide financial support to performers and creators during the COVID-19 crisis”
“The prospect of widespread cancellations of concerts, theatre productions and exhibitions due to COVID-19 threatens to cause huge financial hardship for Britain’s creative community. We ask Parliament to provide a package of emergency financial and practical support during this unpredictable time.”
PETITION: PROVIDE EMERGENCY ARTS COUNCIL FUNDING
Offer more support to the arts (particularly Theatres and Music) amidst COVID-19
SIGN THE PETITION to “Offer more support to the arts (particularly Theatres and Music) amidst COVID-19.”
“As we pass the COVID-19 Peak, the Government should: State where the Theatres and Arts fit in the Coronavrius recovery Roadmap, Create a tailor made financial support mechanism for the Arts sector & Clarify how Social Distancing will affect arts spaces like Theatres and Concert Venues.
More details
In their plan to restart the economy, the government has addressed hospitality sectors such as restaurants and cinemas. They’ve stated how the sports will be resumed after the lockdown period. But there has been no mention of the arts. On 13 May Robert Jenrick was directly asked to pledge to protect this industry, which could be without income longer than other sectors, but he failed to give a clear answer. This further shows how the arts are being overlooked. The Govt must show more support for arts.”
This petition has now been debated in parliament.
URGENT LETTER TO RISHI SUNAK
SIGN OUR URGENT LETTER TO RISHI SUNAK
Public Campaign for the Arts are writing a letter to Rishi Sunak – Sign It at the link below
“Dear Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer,
As members of the public from every constituency in the UK, we are writing to urge you to commit significant, urgent investment to the arts and cultural sector in your economic statement on Wednesday.
The UK’s cultural sector contributes £32.3bn annually to our economy, and as we have felt acutely in lockdown, it also enriches all of our lives……..”