Creative UK, a not-for-profit organisation representing the UK creative industries, and the Mayor of London’s Culture Team have announced the launch of a virtual event for London’s creative freelancers. The Redesigning Freelance: London event, which will take place on July 11 2022, will invite freelancers and organisations in London’s creative sectors to contribute ideas on developing a more sustainable freelance working model for creatives.
The event is part of a partnership between Creative UK and the Mayor of London’s office, which is seeking to address systemic inequalities, as well as encouraging under-represented groups to work in the creative industries. It will be open to employers and freelancers working across all creative sectors, including music, screen, visual arts, performing arts, fashion and design.
Ideas from the event will then be used as part of the Redesigning Freelancing programme being developed by Creative UK. The event will also enable attendees to hear from freelancers who have contributed to the Mayor of London’s Creative Freelancers: Shaping London’s Recovery programme, which was launched last year.
Freelancers comprise close to half of the workforce in London’s creative and cultural sectors, but were impacted especially severely by the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 60 per cent lost work as a result of COVID-19 and at least 200,000 freelancers in London were excluded from government financial support.
While government support for freelancers has been widely criticised, the pandemic was also said to have highlighted the fragility of the freelance model itself, with many suffering significant decreases in their workload and being left with little support.
Creative UK’s Development & Partnerships Manager, Impact & Change, Evy Cauldwell French, commented: “Creative freelancers working throughout London continue to face an unequal playing field, with many sadly choosing to leave creative occupations due to unsustainable practices.”
“We are pleased to announce our partnership with the Mayor of London’s Culture Team, with whom we are empowering organisations and freelancers working across London’s creative economy to create a more sustainable future for our growing workforce.”
