New Bectu figures reveal at least 7,442 redundancies in theatre and live events

At least 7,442 creative industry workers have been made redundant as a result of the pandemic, Bectu said today (14th October).

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said: “The short-term grants announced in the culture recovery fund will benefit some venues, but it’s too little too late to save thousands of jobs.

“Our latest figures indicate at least 7,442 creative industry workers have been made redundant already, on top of many thousands of casual and zero hour contracts workers having been laid off and the thousands of freelancers who have had their income completely cut off.

“With further funding rounds set to be delivered by loans rather than grants, we are aware of more redundancies in the pipeline.

“While social distancing restrictions make it impossible for venues to open, the government must extend the furlough scheme for theatres and create targeted financial support for the thousands of freelancers who are simply falling through the gaps of existing government support schemes.

“Our creative industries contribute £111bn to the UK economy and a priceless amount to the social fabric of the UK. It is in everyone’s interests to ensure that this industry can get back on its feet.”