24/06/2021
Breaking News: Live music and theatre industries launch legal action against Government to force the publication of Events Research Programme data
Today the live music industry body LIVE and a range of theatre businesses, including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, Cameron Mackintosh, Michael Harrison and Sonia Friedman, have
commenced legal proceedings against the Government to force it to hand over the report of Phase 1 of the Events Research Programme (ERP).
The ERP is the Government’s research into Covid-19 mitigations in sport, entertainment and business conferences settings. The music industry and theatre businesses have repeatedly called on the Government to outline the scientific basis for its decision to maintain restrictions on events.
Despite portions of the ERP economic impact assessment being leaked to the media this week, the Government refused calls from many MPs in a debate on Tuesday 22 June to release the report in
full. The live entertainment sector has spent the last few months participating in, and paying for, full capacity pilot events as part of the ERP – including The BRIT Awards at The O2 arena, an outdoor
festival event in Liverpool for 5,000 people, a snooker tournament at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the Download festival for 10,000 people last weekend.
These events have been a huge success, according to the government itself in various press reports, showing that with proper precautions in place, live events at full capacity can go ahead safely.
But the Government chose to keep the live entertainment industry under severe restrictions from 21 June, while allowing parts of the economy that have not been subject to similar scientific studies,
including hospitality, public transport and retail, to operate. The Government has also refused to publish the results from the first phase of the Events Research Programme, despite saying that it
would do so on numerous occasions.
Mark Davyd CEO of MVT said: "Last week we called upon the government to release the results of the Events Research Programme. Without the data and evidence from this programme it is not possible to plan safe events that respond to the latest government position of creating Covid secure venues and gigs. The government has declined to release that information, has not provided a justifiable reason for the refusal to release, and cannot therefore engage with the sector to work on risk mitigations that might be required based on the contents of the report. This legal action is the inevitable outcome of the government's refusal to work with the sector to create evidenced based secure events, and we therefore reluctantly agree with the necessity to pursue it. The ball is firmly in the government's court; it is their refusal to work with the cultural sector that has resulted in this action."
Read More: https://www.iq-mag.net/2021/06/music-theatre-uk-govt-pilot-show-data/
