Create income replacement scheme for crew affected by writers and actors strikes

We want the Government to do more to support UK TV and Film Crew who are unable to work due to strikes by actors and writers. The UK freelance crew who work on these projects need financial support and reassurance from the Government that they will not abandon the crew during this crisis.

The UK Film and TV industry contributes billions to the economy, and a large proportion of production is based on work from US studios. Current US strikes mean that work has disappeared for many UK freelance crew overnight.

There has been no bespoke support for the crew during the strikes. Many are only just recovering financially after Covid and now find themselves again without work. Many are suffering financially and mentally and are having to find work elsewhere. This could have a long-term effect on the entire industry

The government is committed to the continued success of the Film and High End TV (HETV) industry, and of the UK’s creative industries more widely. As set out in our Creative Industries Sector Vision, our ambition by 2030 - underpinned by £310 million in targeted government spending - is to grow the creative industries in creative clusters by an extra £50 billion; to create one million extra jobs though a creative careers promise that builds a pipeline of talent into the sector; and to maximise the ability of the creative industries to enrich our lives. The Sector Vision is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industries-sector-vision.

The UK is one of the most attractive destinations in the world for the production of Film and HETV, with a record £6.27 billion generated through production spend in the UK in 2022, of which £5.37 billion - or 86% - came from inward investment. The film industry is a global ecosystem, and the UK benefits from a significant volume of US investment in particular. As well as our competitive tax reliefs and state of the art studio infrastructure, a significant draw for US productions is our world-class, skilled crew. This strong link between the UK and the US means that current strike action by the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America is having a knock-on impact on UK-based productions and crew.

The government is engaging with stakeholders across industry, from studios and streamers to unions, to understand the full impact of continued strike action on crew, cast, studios, and related fields such as visual effects, post-production and cinema exhibition.