The incoming creative freelance champion must “strengthen” the voice of those outside of traditional salaried roles in government, a Creative UK report has said.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) appointee, expected to be announced later this year, must focus on ensuring that “the conditions for sustainable, inclusive freelance careers” are strongly embedded in policymaking, according to the UK’s independent network for the creative industries.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the role as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan in June, vowing to make sure the “UK remains the world’s creative powerhouse”.
But in a report titled ‘Delivering for Freelancers: Creative UK proposals for a new Freelance Champion role’, Amy Tarr and Harry Gault of Creative UK’s research team have made the case for a role with the chance to make a genuine change to culture workers’ lives.
Outlining the ideal scope and responsibilities of the post, the authors said the position must improve the experiences of a group deemed “essential” to the country’s “competitiveness, sectoral innovation and regional growth”.
Creative UK chief executive and former film producer Caroline Norbury said the introduction of the “much-campaigned for role” had sent an important message about freelancers’ legitimacy, but stressed the need for a distinct vision of what the post will do.
“It’s crucial that the freelance champion clearly lays out the issues facing freelancers – so that they can effectively work with industry and policymakers to create lasting solutions,” Norbury said.
“Above all, this role is a convener for change: bringing together freelancers, trade associations, unions and major employers to overcome the barriers we know exist.”
Freelancers can no longer be left to ‘fall through the gaps’
For too long, freelancers have been overlooked by policymakers, the Creative UK report finds, with strategic approaches including the government’s Industrial Strategy plans “overwhelmingly designed around traditional employers and exclusively PAYE workers”.
This is despite the fact that nearly half of the 5,600 creative industry workers who responded to an Arts Council England (ACE) and Creative UK survey last year classed themselves as freelancers.
“The absence of a dedicated leadership function for freelancers within government has led to piecemeal initiatives and missed opportunities,” researchers claim, leaving workers vulnerable to issues that range from late payments and limited social protection in terms of sick pay and pension schemes, to reduced access to skills development.
The report insists that these problems are “not new”, and in fact have been exposed and exacerbated by global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. “Successive reports and reviews have recognised the problems, but comprehensive solutions have failed to materialise,” researchers write, and besides the impact on freelancers’ livelihoods and well-being, the UK risks “wasting the potential of high-growth sectors dependent on flexible talent”.
Case studies from within the UK and further afield
Researchers identify a number of offices and posts dedicated to delivering “measurable impact” for “under-served” groups, including Britain’s Small Business Commissioner (SBC) role currently held by Emma Jones.
“The SBC model,” the report finds, “has proven that a commissioner can operate at low cost, influence policy debates and directly improve outcomes for vulnerable economic actors.”
Across the pond, New York’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act of 2017 is lauded as a “pioneering model for protecting freelance workers”, with researchers pointing to its introduction of mandatory written contracts for freelancers, penalties for late or non-payment, and an enforcement unit sitting within the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Looking at these examples, and others including the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, the report identifies three priorities for the incoming creative freelance champion: evidence generation, policy leadership, and sector engagement.
“To ensure clarity of purpose and consistency of approach, the freelance champion should be guided by a single overarching objective,” Creative UK finds.
The appointee must “champion the interests of freelancers working across the cultural and creative industries by strengthening their voice in government” and ensure that “the conditions for sustainable, inclusive freelance careers are embedded in evidence-led policy making, industry practice and public investment.”
Sector heavyweights have their say
Creative UK’s proposals were shaped by discussions with creative industries organisations, trade bodies, and unions.
Head of the creative union Bectu Philippa Childs said that “for too long, freelancers in the UK have got a raw deal”.
“Bectu has been fighting hard to secure a better deal for creative freelancers, and we are delighted at the establishment of a freelance champion,” she said.
“It’s now time to put the meat on the bone and ensure this role, working with industry, trade unions and freelancer groups, can deliver sustained and meaningful change.”
Directors UK chief executive Andy Harrower added: “Freelancers have been consistently overlooked and underrepresented. They have a precarious existence and are often exposed to risk and poor treatment, despite being the powerhouse behind our £125 billion a year creative industries.
“Directors UK contributed to and welcomes the key proposals for the Freelance Champion outlined in Creative UK’s paper.”
Source: Creative UK outlines sector’s dreams for freelance champion – Arts Professional
