The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is elated at the announcement of nearly £1.6bn to support arts through the Covid-19 pandemic. A new research estimates that the impact of Covid-19 on London’s culture and creative industries could cost the economy £16.3bn and put 151,000 jobs at risk.
Khan also suggests that the government must address the ‘hidden cost’ to the creative supply chain which is facing more than 40,000 job losses. Following the pandemic, many of London’s cultural centres and creative industries have completely closed down, with theatres, music venues and performance spaces shutting their doors. In the same chain of events, the staff, set designers, audio visual technicians, lighten, textile to wholesalers, everyone suffered a huge monetary loss.
Today’s research estimates that the entire supply chain of the creative industries faces losing 82,400 jobs and seeing £3.3bn wiped off the value of London’s economy without specific support. Sabinna Rachimova, Founder and director, SABINNA, said: “The UK has a long history of manufacturing, which contributed to Britain's economic success. It's great to see that there are more and more independent designers and small brands who are focusing on ethical local production and manufacturing within their fashion supply chains. Unfortunately, these supply chains and partnerships are now at risk.”
Tim Dellow, Co-founder, Transgressive Records, said: “This is welcome news, but it’s important support is extended to the entire music ecosystem. Live music performances are not only valuable income streams for artists, but often support a large team of freelancers, tour managers, sound engineers and transport and logistics workers. They are also a chance to build artists’ careers and market around events where there is already a large audience. The UK music industry alone generates significantly more than, for example, the UK fishing industry. It is essential that the government continues to recognise this value and supports the ‘behind the scenes’ businesses as well as the public facing ones.”
