“Now is the time for the Government to act and provide the sureties necessary to enable these events to take place.” Photo credit: Shutterstock
The DCMS Committee is calling on the Government to broaden the Events Research Programme, and the liability available to the pilot events under it, to enable a number of culturally significant events to take place.
In correspondence to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, MPs make the case for targeted intervention that would support the economic recovery of the events industry and its supply chains, and build on the work of the pilot programme.
The proposal could allow people to take part on events of real cultural significance
DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP said:
“Targeted help to enable a larger number of events, both large and small, to go ahead this summer is better than nothing.
“To see more festivals cancelled and warnings that other events could follow is very frustrating, especially when we have been warning the Government about the urgency of insurance for months and multiple proposals have been put forward.
“We will continue to voice our support for a comprehensive Government-backed insurance scheme. The Government’s roadmap, and the time and effort being invested in testing the safe return of large events, risk being wasted without it.
“In the absence of such a scheme, what we’re proposing could allow people to take part in events of real cultural significance across the country, with huge benefits to them as we emerge from lockdown.”
Now is the time for the Government to act
MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge explains how the MU backed the call:
“The MU supports the call for targeted support for the events industry to enable significant cultural events to take place. Festivals, concerts and gigs have all been on hold whilst we wait for an announcement from the Government that in the event of cancellation, compensation will be available as a replacement for insurance which has become impossible to secure due to the pandemic.
“Now is the time for the Government to act and provide the sureties necessary to enable these events to take place.”