The Government has indicated that it intends to continue with the previous Government’s plans for the creative industries by announcing the appointment of two ‘Freelance Champions’ to represent the interests of those who are self-employed in the sector.
We have previously discussed the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s recommendation for the appointment of ‘Freelance Commissioners’ who would, as it put it in its report on Creator Remuneration, have “appropriate powers and cross-departmental oversight, to advocate across Government in the interests of creative freelancers, and of other freelance and self-employed people more broadly”. That recommendation was in turn adopted by the previous Government in its Creative Industries Sector Plan (discussed here) which committed to appoint what it called a freelance champion to “advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government”.
Delivering on that commitment, the Government has appointed not one, but two Freelance Champions, Leila D’Aronville and Lizzie Crump, both of whom are freelancers themselves. As the press release announcing the appointment explains, they will “work closely with industry, including the freelance community, to build an understanding of this often-overlooked section of the workforce and ensure its needs inform government thinking. In particular, it is envisaged that they will help address concerns identified by the Good Work Review, including unpaid work, limited opportunities for professional development and difficult working environments. They will also sit on the Creative Industries Council.
The appointments have been welcomed by many in the industry who have long argued for more attention to be paid to the unique challenges faced by freelancers.
Commenting on her appointment, Leila D’Aronville said that “freelancers are essential to the UK’s creative and cultural strength, yet too often misunderstood or overlooked. Lizzie and I are determined to change that. We will work with government, industry and freelancers themselves to build a fairer, more informed environment, one that recognises the realities of freelance work and supports people to build sustainable, rewarding careers”.
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