Sunak’s aid is of little help to our theatres, warns chief

BRITISH THEATRE is facing decimation with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s new measures offering little to help, an industry body has warned.

Mr Sunak said the new support, which will replace the furlough scheme, was aimed at protecting “viable” roles. But many people in entertainment, including composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, have said it is economically impossible to run theatres with social distancing.

Julian Bird, the chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, said the Chancellor’s announcement did “little to help the theatre and performingarts sector where the majority of venues and productions remain closed due to Covid”.

He said: “Our previously viable and world- beating sector is facing decimation, as with no income organisations cannot bring their staff back to work.

“Without targeted and vitally needed support for the workforce in this sector, we will see further job losses and redundancies.

“While the extension of the self- employed scheme is welcome, with the amount offered reducedto20percent, thousands will face real financial peril.”

The Association of Independent Festivals’ chief executive Paul

Reed criticised what he called “a broad- brush approach”, adding: “We urgently need targeted support”.

He said: “While the extension to the VAT cut is welcome, these measures are not even a Band Aid for a sector that remains severely wounded.

“Festivals support 85,000 jobs in the UK and our most recent member surveys suggest redundancies of at least 50 per cent across the sector, some of which have unfortunately already taken place.”

Arts bodies are waiting to find out what funding they will receive from the Government’s £ 1.57bn rescue package.