Fiona Bruce has highlighted the financial crises facing some local people because of the Covid pandemic in a debate on Government support for the self-employed in the House of Commons last week.
Fiona told the House of Commons that “some freelancers and self-employed people in my constituency have fallen through the cracks of what I recognise has otherwise been an extremely generous financial package provided by the Treasury for so many people. As I have gone about my constituency over the past few months, so many people have thanked me—people in business and employees—for the support that they have received from the Chancellor.”
The issues highlighted by Fiona Bruce were representative of constituents who have missed out from adequate financial support either because they are company directors paid in dividends or due to a technicality relating to the payroll qualifying deadline for business eligibility for funding from the Chancellor’s package of furlough support, or due to their being a self-employed musician.
One of those she highlighted is professional harpist Lauren Scott whose performances have included the BBC Proms in the past. Commenting after the debate Fiona said “Lauren and Andy Scott will be well known in the Sandbach community and beyond as founders of the Sandbach Concert Series and the annual awards for young musicians at Sandbach town hall which I have been privileged to present for many years. Lauren gave me her permission to recount her experience of trying to find other work during the pandemic which I found heartbreaking as I spoke in the House of Commons. I sincerely hope that the Chancellor will reconsider the support available for talented musicians like Lauren – and others in my constituency who, unusually, have not benefitted from the Chancellors widespread financial support provisions.”
Speaking in the House of Commons, Fiona Bruce said “I would like to talk about my constituent Lauren Scott, a self-employed musician. We have heard a lot about musicians in the debate, and I would like to tell the House about Lauren’s circumstances. Lauren is a highly professional harpist, and her husband Andy is a composer and teacher. Over the past 10 years of my being a Member of Parliament, no individuals have done more in my constituency to promote the arts, and particularly the engagement of young people in music, than Andy and Lauren Scott. I have heard Lauren perform many times as a harpist, and I have heard one of Andy’s pieces premiered at the Southbank Centre. It is not just about these peoples talent, but the next generation they are nurturing. Lauren says,
“I am a self-employed freelance musician of 25+ years. I have only ever been a professional musician. During that time I have always paid my taxes and never considered myself to be a burden on the state. I am highly regarded within my field and very often my work is booked into my diary up to 1-2 years in advance. All my concert work has been cancelled…Performing was 80% of my work/income and private teaching was 20%. The only work I now have is my teaching.
At the start of lock-down I applied for 18 jobs with local supermarkets for roles ranging from shelf stacking to driving delivery vans. I did not succeed with any of those applications. It appears that 25 years of playing guest principal harp with all the professional orchestras playing at the likes of the BBC Proms, recording live broadcasts and performing at all the major concerts venues across the country was not the right kind of experience Aldi and Tesco were after.
I will not be able to ‘get back to work’ when the current SEISS ends in October. By now my diary should be full of bookings for 2021, but promoters are not booking and I have nothing booked in for next year…
Please could you ask for there to be consideration to extend the SEISS for self-employed musicians and the Arts Sector. Having high quality live events happening in major venues… is precisely what is going to attract people to visit those city centres.”
Speaking after the debate Fiona added, “As a Treasury Minister was duty bound to attend the debate in which I spoke I am sure that the Treasury will have heard loud and clear the concerns I raised. More flexibility is needed to support people who through no fault of their own are finding themselves in difficulties. I sincerely hope that the Chancellor will look again at the excluded self-employed and freelancers and give them the help they need, where appropriate retrospectively, to assure parity with them and the millions of others who have benefitted from the Chancellor’s funding during this pandemic.”
Fiona's full speech can be accessed at the following link: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-09-17/debates/42A771AA-6DFF-4D8E-A63F-E7E828ABCD22/SupportForSelf-EmployedAndFreelanceWorkers?highlight=scott#contribution-4636372C-1D50-4D4F-8B4C-58A8DF2A01A7.