Events Industry: Coronavirus

(asked on 2nd November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the recovery of the events sector from the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 6th November 2020

The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector which will benefit the events sector by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations to stay open and continue operating. So far, over £500m has been announced from the Culture Recovery Fund for over 2,000 organisations across England including venues, festivals and theatres.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that businesses will be protected from the threat of eviction until the end of year, providing commercial tenants with greater security and protecting vital jobs. This extension will protect businesses that are struggling to pay their rent due to the impact of COVID-19 from being evicted and help thousands of people working in the events sector to feel more secure about their jobs. The government will also extend the restriction on landlords using Commercial Rents Arrears Recovery to enforce unpaid rent on commercial leases, until the end of the year.

We recognise that the new national restrictions will have a significant impact on jobs and the economy, as well as on mental health and wellbeing. The Government has confirmed that there will be a full package of financial support in place, with the Job Retention Scheme extended until March. Businesses can continue to apply for government-backed loans, and self-employed individuals can access the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

We are continuing to meet with events stakeholders to provide support and guidance for the events sector during this time.

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