A committee of MPs has said the government has been too slow to respond to the impact of coronavirus on live music and theatre.
The committee said the cultural industries were likely to face mass redundancies and there could be a lasting impact on diversity, opportunities for audiences and workers, and the UK’s position as a cultural world leader.
The help available was hampered by the “lack of spending power” at the The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and “a fundamental misunderstanding” of what is needed, the committee added.
It committee pointed to figures suggesting that 93% of grassroots music venues faced permanent closure and that 90% of all festivals would be cancelled this year.
The report recommended a “sector-specific recovery deal”, “clear, if conditional, timelines for reopening”, and “long-term structural support”.