There are 5m freelancers and self-employed workers in the UK who so far have not been supported by government measures to help the workforce through the COVID-19 crisis and yet they have had their sources of income cease entirely in many cases.

As an example more than 70% of workers in the Creative Industries are Freelancers.  This sector of the economy contributed more than £100bn last year alone.

There must be a dedicated source of direct income support to compensate the self-employed for lost earnings due to COVID-19 preventative measures.

Such support should be based on average existing earnings of the individual in order to ensure that they can minimise disruption to their lives and meet existing costs and obligations.

We support the proposal by Creative Industries Federation and IPSE which calls for a £15bn fund to be established with immediate effect.