We are asking the UK’s Culture Media & Sport Select Committee to start a State of Play inquiry to explore the challenges currently facing independent festivals whilst recognising and celebrating the vibrancy, opportunity and successes these events bring to communities and the economy across the UK.
A successful inquiry will lead to recommendations from the Committee to UK Government to champion our calls for support for independent festivals. We have until February 19th to make this happen.
For the last 18 months, we’ve been petitioning the UK government to temporarily lower VAT on music festival ticket safes from 20% to 5% for three years. Successive Governments have, so far, rejected these calls.
Our evidence shows this single measure would have saved many of the festivals that have already fallen.
Now we’ve found a new way of making our voices heard, but we need your help to do it.
A new Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (CMS) has been formed, and they have invited us to put in a submission for a State of Play Inquiry.
The MPs on this Committee have the power to lobby the government Their job is to scrutinise the work in areas that are important to the UK’s cultural and social life.
We need as many independent festivals as possible to sign our open letter and support our submission.
Together we can champion the changes needed for the survival of UK grassroots, independent festival culture.
WHAT ARE SELECT COMMITTEES?
Parliamentary select committees are one of the key ways that the UK parliament holds the Government to account. There are select committees in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords – some permanent and some temporary.
Each select committee comprises a small group of MPs and/or Peers who come together to scrutinise the work of the Government, looking at specific policy issues or legislation in detail. Select committees' work includes undertaking inquiries, which consider opinions and evidence from various sources, including industry, the public and academia.
There is a House of Commons select committee for each government department – with the remit of examining the department’s spending, policies and administration. In the House of Lords, permanent committees cover broad subject areas, while special enquiry committees investigate a specific issue.
Following an inquiry, committees publish their recommendations to Government. The Government usually has 60 days to respond.
CMS SELECT COMMITTEE
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/culture-media-and-sport-committee/membership
