Creative Industries: Freelance Champion

Baroness Wilcox of Newport Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Colville of Culross (CB)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Labour Benches next, if we can please make our minds up.

[Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)]

Please could my noble friend the Minister update us on the progress of implementing the creative industries sector plan? How is DCMS addressing problems of social mobility as part of the “arts for everyone, everywhere” vision?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

Delivery of our ambitious vision is on track. Key achievements include the £150 million creative places growth fund allocated to six mayoral strategic authorities; we have secured agreement to boost music creator streaming income; we have announced the price cap to ban for-profit resale of live event tickets; and we have secured investment for three Bollywood films in the UK, which are expected to create over 3,000 jobs. We also have an increase in innovation funding of £369 million from UKRI and over £4 billion for scaling creative businesses through the British Business Bank. I am delighted to say that the Culture Secretary announced today that £1.5 billion will be invested to save more than 1,000 arts venues—museums, libraries and heritage buildings—across England from closure. These are just a few of the actions that we have taken so far.