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UK Music Acting Chief Executive Tom Kiehl has called on the Government to honour its pledge to ensure the self-employed get the same Government financial help as employees.

His intervention comes amid mounting fears that Chancellor Rishi Sunak plans to wind down the support scheme for the self-employed, while continuing to give assistance to employees under the furlough scheme until October. The help for the self-employed is due to end on Sunday.

Under schemes created in March, around 2.3 million self-employed workers and more than eight million employees are getting help under the Government’s income grant scheme.

The Chancellor recently extended the furlough scheme for employees. However, nothing has yet been announced for freelancers and the self-employed under the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS) — despite a Government pledge of “parity” of support for the two sectors to help them through the Covid-19 crisis.

UK Music Acting CEO Tom Kiehl warned the Government must not leave the 72% of self-employed workers in the music industry “swinging in the wind” as they faced the prospect of a “cliff-edge” end to their financial support.

Mr Kiehl said: “While the recent extension of Government support for employees is welcome, we have yet to hear what is planned for the self-employed.

“The community of self-employed workers in the music industry are a critical part of our sector’s eco-system and play a huge part in the £5.2 billion annual contribution music makes to the economy.

“The Government must not leave the self-employed swinging in the wind when it comes to financial support. 

“The Chancellor needs to act to lift the cloud of anxiety and uncertainty facing thousands of self-employed workers that make up 72% of the music industry’s workforce.

“By Rishi Sunak’s own admission the scheme is designed to provide a lifeline to musicians but many will still not be able to work for many months to come.

“I would urge the Government to give self-employed workers the parity they were promised when it comes to financial support from the Government to help them make ends meet.”

Under the self-employed support scheme, workers who qualify get 80% of their average earnings over recent years - up to a cap of £2,500 per month.

A FREE national online survey designed to capture audience views on returning to arts events, booking tickets now and in future, and missing out on live events during lockdown.

https://www.indigo-ltd.com/covid-19-after-the-interval-national-audience-survey

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has announced that both the Meetings Industry Association (mia) and Meetings Professionals International UK & Ireland (MPI) have re-joined the partnership as full members. This takes the number of full partners in the BVEP, which is the umbrella body and advocacy group for the UK’s £70 billion events industry, to 28.

The mia represents more than 800 members within the business events industry from hotels, venues and industry suppliers. The association also runs the AIM accreditation scheme, the UK’s only recognised accreditation scheme for the meetings and events industry.

Jane Longhurst, Chief Executive, mia said: “Business meetings and events have been decimated by the impact of COVID-19 so there has never been a more crucial time for us to work collaboratively to gain government recognition and ongoing support for our sector. With our objectives now aligned, the mia is delighted to be re-joining the BVEP under the unified goal of helping the UK to continue to host world class events and cementing the nation’s position on the global stage.”   

MPI, which is the largest meeting and events industry association globally, represents more than 17,000 event planners, suppliers and students worldwide. The association has more than 70 chapters and clubs across 75 countries.

Judy Elvey, President, Meetings Professionals International UK & Ireland said: “BVEP are a crucial voice for the business events industry here in the UK and through these uncertain times it is working hard, with its members, to gather and feedback information and evidence to the government to ensure that the sector can recover as quickly as possible. As a global association we can feedback best practice and initiatives to our global chapters to help aid the recovery of the international meetings and events industry.”

Commenting on both mia and MPI re-joining the partnership, Michael Hirst OBE, Chair, of the BVEP said: " I'm delighted that the BVEP's activities and voice on behalf of the Events Industry is being strengthened by the membership of MPI and MIA, both of which are leading representative bodies in their sectors. This is clearly the time for the Industry to come together to demonstrate it is unified around core messages and working collaboratively to resolve the many issues arising out of the consequences of COVID19".

New figures on the UK-wide government support schemes for individuals and businesses have been published today, Tuesday 19 May 2020.

A revaluation of business rates will no longer take place in 2021 to help reduce uncertainty for firms affected by the impacts of coronavirus, Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has announced.

Legislation had been introduced to bring the next revaluation forward by one year from 2022 to 2021, but following the recent economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic ministers want to ensure businesses have more certainty during this difficult time.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: 

We have listened to businesses and their concerns about the timing of the 2021 business rates revaluation and have acted to end that uncertainty by postponing the change.

Now is the time for us to continue to focus on supporting businesses affected by the pandemic, including through our unprecedented package of almost £10 billion in business rates relief.

The government is continuing work on the fundamental review of business rates, with the key aims of reducing the overall burden on businesses, improving the current business rates system, and considering more fundamental changes in the medium-to-long term. The call for evidence for the review will be published in the coming months.

The postponement comes on top of the government’s support package for business and workers during the economic emergency

The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has today launched its latest report titled ‘The UK Events Report’, which provides an in-depth examination into the £70bn industry, providing jobs for 700,000 people and how it will deliver the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which was launched last year.

The UK Events Report, which was compiled prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, illustrates the impact the UK events industry has on the economy. In 2019 business events generated more than £31bn of direct spend, with leisure events contributing a further £39bn, evidence in the report suggests that there is an opportunity to use both markets to showcase the UK’s abilities and resources and bring communities together.

It also highlights a need for the UK to realign and revitalise its commercial footprint, after leaving the European Union and the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, to drive businesses back to their peak and forge a new position on the global stage. Events held in the UK will play a critical role in achieving this.

As a country, the UK has vast selection of high quality and richly varied purpose-built event venues and historic buildings suitable for hosting world-class events. It also has a network of talented and creative suppliers and organisers offering state-of-the-art technology and equipment for events.

The UK events industry is committed to assisting new events to align with key sector priorities, to use events in order to promote UK businesses and their products and services, to attracting more international events and grow already successful events.

Michael Hirst OBE, Chair, BVEP commented: “The report was compiled in what seems another age, but it will serve to provide testament to the power of events to create change and transform experiences, key requirements in facing and achieving the UK’s future challenges. It’s a critical role which the industry is ready and eager to take on and show how it can deliver for the UK.”

Click here to download the Full report and the Executive Summary.

The UK Music Industry has stepped up for #saveourvenues Campaign with six-figure donations from Beggars Group, Amazon Music/The BPI & Mayor of London and substantial donations from several other music companies.