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Select Committee on the Impact of Covid-19 on the Creative Industries

Our General Secretary Horace Trubridge will be giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the creative industries on Tuesday morning.

Published: 05 June 2020 | 12:00 AM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:30 PM
Photograph of an open instrument case of a busker
Focussing on musicians who have fallen through the gaps of the Government’s financial assistance schemes. Photo credit: Shutterstock

Giving evidence at the Select Committee will be a great opportunity to expand on the detailed responses that the MU has sent to this committee over the last month.

Horace will be focussing on musicians who have fallen through the gaps of the Government’s financial assistance schemes as well as discussing what help will be required in order to allow all musicians to safely go back to work.

Entertainment & Events and Broadcasting working groups

Horace has also been invited onto two of the Government’s COVID-19 working groups – Entertainment & Events, and Broadcasting.

The Entertainment & Events group met this week and discussed ways in which the industry could safely be reopened. Other attendees included representatives from ballet and opera companies, a number of CEOs from the industry, and medical expert James Calder.

The main topic of conversation was how theatres and venues would be able to reopen whilst social distancing remained necessary.

Future actions for lobbying

One key development was DCMS agreeing to talk to Local Authorities and the Police about relaxing busking laws while so many other live performances remain impossible.

This was one of the MU’s asks, and we welcome this positive first step. But there is a lot more work to be done. MU members and musicians signed up to our regular no fear, no fuss email updates are encouraged to keep an eye out for future actions to support our lobbying work.

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