Creative Majority report calls for sector-wide action on equality of access to the cultural sector 5 Oct 2021

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity, has published a new report ‘Creative Majority’ which looks at the transformations the sector will have to undertake to be meaningfully inclusive. Recommendations include:

• Government should do more to draw attention to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, and should also consider the calls from AHRC and Creative PEC for a Freelance Commissioner.
• ACE and BFI should make funding dependent on strict compliance with the Equality Act.
• Organisations should set targets for creative diversity, including in the freelance workforce.
• Giving those responsible for EDI time and resources to be proactive in recruitment networks and thoroughly understand the sources of a diverse candidate pool.
• DCMS should disseminate toolkits supporting access to jobs within the creative economy.
• Work to stop the informal networks, hidden decision-making processes and ‘gut reactions’ that still dominate parts of the creative economy, from creating barriers and discrimination for those outside those networks.
• Organisations should not use unpaid interns or hire contractors that do so.
• They should also offer flexible work, job sharing, working from home and
  part-time work as default for all positions, or give clear reasons why not.

 APPG Chair, Baroness Deborah Bull said “change will only happen if equality, diversity and inclusion are not left to any one individual or team but are understood as the responsibility of everyone, at every level of every creative organisation: firmly rooted at the heart of business, funding, engagement and commissioning plans.” Arts Industry, Kings College London (full report), Broadcast