Makers’ business needs, supporting sole traders and how clusters and place-making are important to the economy
Crafts Council’s annual survey of maker needs is now open and we’d love to hear from you. Your insight will help inform our offer for makers, designers and artists at all stages of their careers and our advocacy to improve support for the sector.
The survey takes 10-15 minutes and all responses are confidential. You’ll also have the chance to enter a free prize draw - for more information on the prizes visit the survey article. The survey closes on 9 January 2023.
Creative UK has launched a UK-wide survey into freelancing, as part of Redesigning Freelancing. The initiative is intended to highlight the challenges that freelancers (and sole traders) face locally and nationally and to provide evidence on working conditions that will help to spearhead industry-wide change. We’d encourage you to respond.
Policymakers must help the creative sector to recover from the long-term impacts of Covid-19, according to research from Queen Mary University London (QMUL) on how the pandemic affected individual artists and the wider cultural economy.
The report calls for more accessible and flexible funding schemes and advice on employment opportunities in related fields, particularly for freelance workers. There also needs to be increased recognition of and support for the powerful role of art in addressing inequalities and contributing to social justice.
CVAN has also published recommendations for policy makers to protect and maximise the potential of the visual arts sector. These include supporting the workforce and freelancers, easing the cost of living crisis and fostering an equitable sector.
Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis has established a Creative Industries Network to broaden access to opportunities in these industries. Labour believes the continued success of the UK's creative industries is crucial to future jobs and growth.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has published findings on the growth potential in clusters of creative industries businesses and how the economic environment and the potential obstacles to growth differ across the UK. It’s identified five drivers of cluster growth that will contribute to its Levelling Up work:
- access to finance
- access to talent
- innovation
- the broader environment
- export activity
Six English regions are to receive a share of £17.5m to help scale creative businesses.
The DCMS Committee’s inquiry into cultural placemaking sees it as important to Levelling Up. ‘Placebased approaches to culture can be locally-led and engaging, deliver direct and indirect benefits and support education, pride in place, health and wellbeing.’ But
it calls for urgent financial support and a new regional funding focus to level up the country through culture. It sees theatres, museums and leisure centres facing an existential threat from the cost-of-living crisis. It follows an inquiry looking at whether funding for cultural initiatives has been reaching areas that historically have missed out, and the role creative talent and businesses could play in revitalising public spaces post-pandemic.
A survey about mortgages by price comparison service Uswitch.com shows that arts and culture employees are the least likely to be able to switch their current mortgage deal and are among those who’ve struggled with payments.