Our manifesto for writers and creators

As 2024 is likely to be an election year, we are actively campaigning for any prospective government to better support the creative sector and improve conditions for writers and creators. That’s why we’re launching our Manifesto for Writers and Creators across the UK’s Cultural Sector. You can read a summary of the key points below.

The platform economy and equitable remuneration

The creative sector relies on the work of creators. Digital and online platforms make significant profits from creators’ works, without paying those creators their fair share. We support the proposed Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill which would empower the Digital Markets Unit to support creators’ claims to rightful payment for use of their work by digital platforms. We aim to work with such platforms to establish a more balanced model of creator remuneration.

AI and copyright

We strongly support the view expressed by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that “the Government should support the continuance of a strong copyright regime in the UK and be clear that licences are required to use copyrighted content in AI.” We have developed a set of principles to ensure that intellectual property rights remain robust as artificial intelligence continues to develop at pace.

Smart Fund

We are actively campaigning for the Smart Fund, a scheme that would enable technology manufacturers to work with the creative sector to pay creators and performers for their work and support the UK’s creative economies. Manufacturers would pay a small fraction of the value of each device they sell into a fund that is paid out to creators as compensation for the use of their works on those devices.

Freelancer Commissioner

Freelancers play a vital role in the creative sector, yet a lack of attention from policymakers means that this essential part of the workforce face unique challenges on pay, conditions and rights. We’re calling on the Government to establish a dedicated channel for engaging with the freelance workforce through the appointment of a Freelancer Commissioner.

Audiovisual sector

The TV and film sector has undergone profound changes in recent years, both in terms of how people consume content and how creators are paid. We have commissioned research, due to be published in 2024, to examine the extent of the shift from royalty-based contracts to buyout contracts.

We support recent reforms to tax credits within the audiovisual sector, which have introduced a simplified Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit and increased relief for children’s TV and animation. These reforms have the potential to enhance the benefits for creators.

In the wake of declining commissions for children’s TV, we will call on any future government to meet with representatives from the children’s television sector to plan a path forward for the UK’s internationally renowned children’s content.

Encouraging literacy and boosting PLR funding

We have pledged our support to the Primary School Library Alliance which aims to transform 1,000 primary school libraries by 2025, giving them the books, staff training and support they need. We will call on any future government to match private funding for the scheme. We will also call for an increase to funding for Public Lending Right, which has been stagnant for years and is now less than half than of the amount provided in France and Germany.

You can read our manifesto in full here.

You can learn more about our campaigning work here.