The government has named freelancers from Gateshead and London as its first two ‘freelance champions’.
Leila D’Aronville and Lizzie Crump will advocate on behalf of the UK’s estimated 703,000 self-employed creatives and will also sit on the Creative Industries Council.
The pair will contribute to identifying and delivering ways to improve working conditions for freelancers, as identified in the DCMS-sponsored Good Work Review. These relate to areas including contracts, job satisfaction, unpaid work, bullying, harassment and discrimination, and support, training and development.
They will be supported by Dave O’Brien, professor of cultural and creative industries at the University of Manchester, who joins the DCMS on an academic secondment to provide research support.
D’Aronville (main picture, left) founded the North East Cultural Freelancers, a network supporting freelancers and small organisations. She is also the managing director of charity Northern Roots, which deliver community outreach projects to connect people through roots music, and its subsidiary Jumpin’ Hot Club, which brings live music into venues across the region.
Crump has advocated for pay and conditions for freelancers as a co-director of What Next?, the UK’s largest free-to-access network for arts and culture.
She was previously the co-director of the Cultural Learning Alliance, which offers young people access to culture.
D’Aronville said: “Freelancers are essential to the UK’s creative and cultural strength, yet too often misunderstood or overlooked. Lizzie and I are determined to change that.
“We will work with government, industry and freelancers themselves to build a fairer, more informed environment, one that recognises the realities of freelance work and supports people to build sustainable, rewarding careers. My commitment is to leave a legacy of greater fairness, clearer understanding and stronger foundations for creative and cultural freelancers.”
Crump said: “Great policy is made when the people who it affects are heard and understood, and when decision-makers truly understand the issues and context they are working with. We will use this role to champion creative freelance voices at the heart of our systems, and to add value to the brilliant work that colleagues round the country are already doing in support of this agenda and each other.”
