Calls for freelancer income protection fund

Creative professionals are calling for a "time-limited and carefully targeted" income protection fund for freelance workers.

An open letter from the Creative Industries Federation, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) to Prime Minster Boris Johnson says "we understand the government is due to announce a further employment support package in the coming days".

"We are calling on the government to implement a Temporary Income Protection Fund specifically for the self-employed as part of this package.

"As you have recently stated, this is not just a health crisis but an economic crisis. The income of freelancers up and down the country is at immediate risk, threatening their ability to keep their businesses alive and cover basic living costs like rent, bills and food."

Forty sector organisations representing most artforms have signed, as has the Arts Council of Wales.