Representing you in government and the wider industry

A flurry of announcements

Next week, parliament closes for summer recess, marking the first year in office for the government. These last few weeks before recess have been packed with government activity concerning the creative industries: first we had the spending review, which revealed some real-terms cuts to DCMS and DSIT budgets, followed by the announcement of the creative industries sector plan, which made a number of eye-catching announcements – not least the appointment a dedicated freelance champion in Government. You can read our response here.

A champion with “teeth”

We’ve felt for a long time that the freelance workforce is not properly understood or advocated for in government, and have repeatedly called for a dedicated, specialist representative role to be introduced. Now that a freelance champion has been announced, we’re attending DCMS meetings to discuss the freelance champion’s terms of reference. This is because we want to make sure that the freelance champion has “teeth”, and the power to substantially drive change for directors – just having a seat at the table is not enough.

AI: the next phase

In June, the government finally passed its much-debated Data (Use and Access) Bill. Disappointingly, the bill didn’t include amendments tabled by Baroness Kidron, which would have ensured transparency around how creatives’ works are used by Generative AI companies.  

The passage of that bill has far from settled the debate, however it has put the issue of transparency and fair payment for the use of creators’ works firmly on the agenda. We’re representing members in our weekly meetings with organisations from across the industry as part of the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, and we attended the All-Party Parliamentary Media Group discussion on AI and copyright in Westminster just last week. The government has also established working groups to help it develop its policy around AI, and we’re able to feed in these through our membership of the British Copyright Council, among others. 

A lot of what happens next on AI depends on the outcome of some landmark cases in Europe and particularly in the US, and we’re following these developments – and what they could mean for our members – extremely closely.

Coming soon

The CMS Committee has launched a new enquiry into children’s TV and video content, which is currently accepting evidence. You can read more about the enquiry here, and if you’d like to share your thoughts please contact us at [email protected].  

Ofcom will soon be publishing a the next stage of review of public service media, which we have fed into in our meetings with them and Creative UK. We’re expecting the BBC Charter Review process to begin in the autumn, when it’s also anticipated that the government will finally publish a response to their consultation on AI — which received over 11,500 submissions.