On Wednesday 24th July Joan Moynihan, Executive Director of Nimax Theatres gave evidence on the theatre industry’s contribution to the UK economy on behalf of SOLT & UK Theatre during the London Assembly’s inquiry into night time industries. In the same week that the Campaign for the Arts published research that found public funding went down by 10 percentage points between 2009 and 2023, Joan outlined how public arts funding supports the theatre industry’s ecosystem, providing the conditions in which rich and diverse programming can thrive.
The Economy, Culture and Skills Committee chaired by Labour Assembly Member, Marina Ahmad, also heard from other industry leaders including Mark Williams, Deputy Chief Executive of the Heart of London Business Alliance, who said that 4.2 million people go to the theatre in London per year.
There was also a discussion about Labour’s plans to end zero-hours contracts during which participants underlined the need for policy makers to understand the importance of casual worker contracts for creative and night time industries. SOLT & UK Theatre members say that this type of contract provides the flexibility that the theatre sector needs, enabling workers to cancel shifts at short notice to attend auditions, for example.
The committee also heard about critical skills shortages in the creative and night time industries stemming in part from staff losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Brexit, which has led to a diminished skills set in the Capital. Joan Moynihan outlined SOLT & UK Theatre’s calls for a flexible apprenticeship system to help address these workforce challenges.
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