Paul W Fleming also criticised the government's decision to make cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance

Speaking to Left Foot Forward at this year’s TUC Congress, Equity’s general secretary Paul W Fleming called for the prime minister Keir Starmer to include an ‘industrial plan for the creative industries’ in his ambition for a ‘decade of national renewal’. Equity represents workers in the performing arts and the creative sector.

Fleming told Left Foot Forward: “If a decade of national renewal doesn’t include an industrial plan for the creative industries, then there’s not going to be a decade of national renewal.”

Fleming went on to highlight the significance of the creative sector to the UK economy and why his union thinks this means there is a need for an industrial plan for the sector. He said: “We do creative industries very, very well. We’re the second largest producer of film and TV in the world. We’re the second largest producer of video games in the world. Creative industries are worth more to the economy than banking. Without a sectoral plan and without an industrial strategy, we’re not going to maximise the potential.”

What does this mean in practice? Fleming told Left Foot Forward it will require the reinstatement of arts funding. He said: “That will mean returning arts funding to where it was, and that is not a commitment from the government at the minute.”

Fleming has other issues he wants the government to pick up too. This year’s TUC Congress has taken place against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding Labour’s decision to make significant cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Fleming added his voice to those expressing concerns about this change and about other elements of the benefit system. He told Left Foot Forward: “60 per cent of our members have claimed social security at some point. Our members as pensioners are reliant – as freelancers, and they’ve been freelance for a long time – on tiny industrial pensions, their royalties, their secondary payments and things like the Winter Fuel Allowance. And it is a mystery to me as to why ‘tough choices’ means putting pensioners into penury and keeping children in poverty.

“Freelancers – particularly people in our union who work as variety artists, children’s entertainers, stand-up comedians, gigging artists – they really are dependent on the benefits system. And lifting the two-child cap, reform of Universal Credit to remove the minimum income floor, which is a big ask of ours of the government, which it means there’s a two-tier pay out for freelancers versus the employed. There’s not any movement on that and I don’t understand how you can promise a different outcome on the economy unless you change the inputs, and that seems particularly cruel.”

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

Image credit – Equity.

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