Freelancers Make Theatre Work have been approached by the UK Trade and Business Commission who are gathering evidence to set out what current and future UK Government trade policy should be in order to benefit the UK economy, businesses and the UK public –
In other words they are keen to hear about the effect that Brexit has had on our freelance community and to use our stories to make better informed asks of the EU when the next opportunity arises next year.
Have you anything you could share? Are you seeing less opportunities? Do you feel you’ve lost work? Have you struggled with visas? What have you seen and heard from your friends and colleagues? If you can – anonymous or otherwise – we’d love to hear back from you. Email Josie something –a voice note even – whatever you can manage.
email hello@freelancersmaketheatrework.com
Ideally we’d like to hear from you by the end of the month so we can put the case for what we need the government to ask for next year. The closing date for a submission is March 17.
And this will make a difference regardless of elections! The Commission are a cross party group brought together to do this really important work and they are asking the right things.
Here are their questions – they may inspire you to respond – or just share your thoughts with us. We really do want to hear from you…
And please pass this message on to anyone you know who has been talking about any of this. Whether it be visa woes, the number of jobs being advertised that exclude UK passport holders, issues with moving instruments, lead times and price of materials….. From costume makers to voice coaches – they need to hear the reality from as many of us as is possible.
• What are the main challenges facing your sector / main drivers of these challenges?
• What steps has the UK govt taken to address these?
• What do you need as part of future trade deals negotiated by the UK government?
• What, if any, trade barriers are you currently facing? What, if any, policies or changes to the UK’s trading relationships could improve your market access?
• What, if any, regulatory challenges are you currently facing, and how could they be improved?
• What, if any, labour market challenges are you currently facing? How could your access to skills be improved?
• What, if any, supply chain challenges or logistical challenges are you currently facing? How could these be addressed?
• How, if at all, is inward investment affecting you? How can investment and innovation be improved?
• In what ways can future trade deals negotiated by the UK Government help facilitate future investment in your industry?
• Overall, do you feel Brexit has been a source of uncertainty for your organisation/industry? If so, please provide further details.
