Behind the Government's support headlines are the Excluded UK

A shocking fact is that millions of people have been shut out of any meaningful financial help by the UK Government, who bang on about how important small businesses are to the UK’s economic future, but then pull the rug from under them. The media has been highlighting the "clear unfairness" of the exclusions of many of our nation’s small businesses and of the self employed. Often over the last year, the spotlight has been focused on the hospitality and retail industry, but yet again, very little thought has been given to the Arts and Media, apart from high profile groups, such as the National Ballet. However, there are continuing 'voluntary' redundancies taking place, like those recently, at Royal Opera House, despite help from Government, and there remains concern that the Royal Ballet, without more help, could yet declare bankruptcy. What hope can smaller groups have?

Through our VAMPHire.com network, we decided to take a look at the Media and Arts sector which is often taken for granted, yet everyone uses it in some form, every day, from online shopping, reading a book, watching TV or in numerous other ways.

Over the last few weeks we have heard of people losing the ability to get help, with the reasons for exclusions cited as, for example, being self employed, investing in their business so their Tax Returns show a loss, having inherited money and/or business, those who took out loans in order to invest in viable businesses so they could expand, so again showing a loss on the books. This is not just within the arts and media, but across the board, and the number affected is in fact far higher than the 3 million mark. The issues faced are wide and often not as clear cut as most would think and highlight yet again our society’s undervaluing and contempt for those within the creative industries…

As photographer, David Austerberry, from Bridport said:- "That list of businesses to close includes a photo studio, but it is categorised as 'retail.' To me retail is walk-in passport mug shots. These hastily drawn up regulations don't get into any detail, and lump many different businesses under umbrella headings. As a former columnist, I would have thought Boris Johnson would have understood the plight of the self employed, but then he totally lacks empathy."

Others, as we have heard, have lost out as they have other jobs, stopping them from claiming from either side of their employment. This is extremely common for models and actors, who have part time jobs to keep them going between modelling shoots or acting jobs. Despite declaring a job and the cash they make, they are often accused as being a:- "fraud risk" in Parliament. But, this makes you question this excuse, as if they are modelling, what would stop them working cash in hand, why would they say they model and declare it? This lack of trust in the long term will only encourage people to hide additional income, as they are losing out by playing by the rules.

Others like ourselves, who are indirectly in a supply chain, (our customers currently also have cash flow problems because of the crisis so are not advertising at this moment). However we are not perceived as being in a chain and the Government still expects us to have revenue coming in, when nearly all who use our paid services can’t work? And that is just the tip of the iceberg…

What is even more shocking is hearing that the UK's Treasury and the Government insists that self-employed are being supported, if not directly through Covid Grants, but through the likes of Universal Credit and that the targeted approach is helping lower earners and those most reliant on trading income. They keep insisting that many people may be eligible for other Government support, but haven't applied to the appropriate places. This misleading response is building up huge resentment within the exuded communities and will probably be in need of more help post Covid, than they would have if adequate support had been given. That is if they survive at all!

Sadly, our own research has heard both Self Employed people and Directors of many small and medium firms, have been put onto Universal Credit, but are now being told to:- "look at getting another job" and even threatened that the credits they get will withdrawn if they don't actively look for a new job. This can threaten the jobs of further people, employed by them, directly or indirectly. This highlights the hidden world, behind the ghost lighting of the UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, statements. This poor knowledge of the real world by the political classes and the high up levels within the Civil Service is now far more of an issue, that if not quickly rectified could lead to so many more job losses and bankrupts, which will inevitably put a far bigger and longer lasting burden on the UK’s benefits system, touching all areas of society and the economy.

For the majority, things have been ok, even in the media and arts industry. For some, things have worked, like RAWing Waves, from Portland, Dorset, who has told us that:- "I have been in a fortunate position with my studio, as I pay business rates and obviously have received Government grants etc." Also, Angela Wilkinson, a Professional Photographer, from St Helens, said was lucky to get payments, but added that:- "I do think that there should be more help for the arts as a whole." She told us that:- "I've had the 3 Self Employed Grants from the Government. Also, I got funding from the Arts Council. The studio where I rent, Platform, in St Helens, got the 10k Grant, and as it is run by its studio members we all voted to divide the money. I've got a 6 month part time contract, which is done via zoom working, with a group of people together with a sound artist, but I have been lucky."

But, sadly, for many others this isn't the case and things have not been as clear cut. Even for those who pay business rates.

Portrait Photographer, Simon Peter LSWPP, is from Maghull. He has over 15 Years of experience and is an acclaimed Photographer. He told us that:- "pre-lockdown in 2020 I rented a unit at Rent A Space Storage in Liverpool which I converted into a photography studio. I have been a photographer for over 20 years and have always had a studio to enable me to carry out my work when not photographing on location. When lockdown hit I had to close my studio space which meant cancelling photo shoots and I also lost contracts with schools and nurseries. I felt a glimmer of hope when the Government announced the 10k grant for small businesses only to find out I wasn’t eligible for it because the storage space paid the rates. As I was still contractually obliged to pay the rent on my studio, I unfortunately had no choice, but to give my notice in and close my studio down. I had 8 weeks of stress and worry, which affected my mental health which is still on going today. In an attempt to salvage my business and when it seemed lockdown was easing in July 2020 I managed to acquire another studio. With the help of family I was able to get the deposit together. With things seeming to be looking up I started slowly booking shoots in. Obviously, now I have had to close the studio again and my mental health is suffering. The self employed grant is not enough for someone who has overheads, such as studio costs, such as rent, electricity, along with a mortgage and house bills. Our voice needs to be heard again 2021 and I have had cancellations due to events not being held for the 2nd year and now I cannot open as it looks till April at the earliest. I pray that we as small business survive mentally and physically.”

That statement also got us thinking, as many studios have been told that they can't claim for a huge host of reasons, as they also used for broadcast / filming, others told they are not retail or leisure, but are listed as must close. Then you have studios that only do products, along with those based within offices, like media publications, which are in catch 22, as the office can open and the studio can be used for broadcasts. But again, you are told to work from home, and if you do, the business is still paying bills on the property, but as they are not listed, or are 50/50, they don't get help. Confused? So are many others... The badly worded information along with advice and poor financial help has lead to huge problems with the photography and modelling industry. This has been made worse, due to hobby photographers clouding the issues. But why would this matter? Well, you want to sell a product, you need photos. You need models to sell clothing. Yes, the idea is anyone can take photos or model, but in reality, they very skilled professions. The loss of these studios will have huge consequences later down the line, should they have to fold. In Southport, we already know of 3 photography businesses that have gone under. So why is this bad? Read on...

Within the Photography and Modelling industry we have found a worrying number of people affected by this, from models to photographers, who are not even showing up within the statistics, as they don't tick the boxes, along with many excluded that are showing up. This plight has knock on effects for our UK's fashion industry, film, TV and even manufacturing. If you have to get a product to market for example, you will likely need photos. If you get anyone to take them, do you know they are advertising standards compliant? Where the correct model releases used? Where.... That’s not forgetting the expense of the equipment and knowledge of those working. Even the models need to know what they are doing, should you need a model. It's the same as getting an actor for the stage, you need a model who can do the job quickly and safely. You also have other sectors attached to the industry, from make up artists to set designers. If you say, ask a member of the public for a photograph that is to be used cross platform, for selling an item of clothing, do you know who to get the castings done legally and what format and types of compression would be required?

One of those who responded to a simple question we posted online:- "How has this affected you?" was a model, 'ET,' aged 33. We are not publishing her full name, even though she is widely known among the modelling community, as she would prefer we don't publish, as she is worried it could put her clients off using her new business, which is not model related. That worry, we will add, is down to the age old misconceptions of many about modelling, that have been getting louder over Covid, as Trolls take to Twitter and Facebook. 'ET' said:- "I'm Excluded, due to a combo of the '50:50 rule' and 'newly returned to self employment.' In either case (luckily for me, not, I fall under both) I am not allowed to claim Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). I had a full time payee job for 18 months up till April 2020, modelled a lil bit alongside. My salary accounted for >50% of my total earnings over the 3 year period they use to assess for SEISS eligibility - FY 16/17, 17/18, 18/19 - meaning I am NOT eligible for any SEISS. I earned more from PAYE (over 3 years up till April 2019) so obviously, in 2020/2021, when my situation has TOTALLY changed, still not a penny of help for me. I decided late 2019 to leave that job in 2020 spring to retrain and set up my new business (and planned to model about 50% alongside). It was pre-planned, though the timing turned out awful... But by the time I saw how bad the pandemic was and tried to get my contract extended the company I was working for had implemented a freeze. So I had no choice but to leave, mid lockdown 1, as planned. My training was delayed from May to July. My business launch delayed from June to late August. So yeh, since April 2020...(basically) zero model work, zero Covid grants, obviously not furlough as I'm no longer employed..."

ET went on to add that:- "Luckily my new business (which was delayed on launch but is now operating) is as a key worker so I am able to see clients in lockdown with council and insurer sign off. Otherwise I'd have been really shafted, as obviously fewer people are looking for services though, so my income from my new Essential Service biz isn't enough to live on (yet). I've always declared ALL of my freelance income, so those saying:- 'well you ought not have worked cash in hand then' can p**s right off, that is not why I'm Excluded. Nor was it wasn't a crime to leave my FT job in spring 2020 to launch a new venture. Nothing about any of this is my fault or could have been predicted, it was just awful timing but I, like 3 million other UK tax payers, have been Excluded. No one left behind, my a*s!"

Continuing the conversation she went on to add that:- "I've seen posts like:- 'well you ought to have had 6 to 12 months contingency saved in your business to get through such times....' Sorry... but a NEW business puts all available funds into the start up (training, set up, savings to live on till profit is expected) THEN saves up contingency before taking a salary! Aka the stage I am still currently in. I'm lucky in that I am being supported STILL, so all my business turnover to date remains in the business for reinvestment and contingency. And that will remain the case for the next several months at least, so that the next such crisis I can weather for 6 months minimum. But going into this?? In April 2020?? Sorry, but I don't have a crystal ball! I had the funds to quit my job, do my training (7.5k) and set up the business (3.5k) with extra for living off savings for the 3 months it would originally have taken me to get into profit. The launch was delayed nearly 3 months though!! And my client base is obviously limited due to the situation. So at time of launch I was basically totally out of savings. The idea that *any* of the Excluded are in dire straits due to our own fault, or fraud, or poor planning is highly erroneous. We are in this situation because of an unprecedented and impossible to forecast situation. We are in this situation because the government has dug their heels in on their stance as of May 2020 and refuses to revise things when informed, and advised, and being aware of the GAPING holes in their schemes due to politics. They are leaving 3 MILLION people to suffer, and starve and commit suicide. Because they would rather sweep us under the carpet than admit their scheme has gaps in it."

Another model / actor, Lee River said:- "I've been overwhelmingly affected. Nearly all of my potential work is through established production companies, and a very great many jobs have been cancelled or postponed. Since March 2020, I haven't sought any work that would either break the law or make me feel unsafe for myself or those around me. But in any case, there aren't any grey areas in my target field; either the client is able to satisfy all the legal, safety, insurance etc aspects or they stop production. I ought to clarify that my work isn't normally in photo studios. Production has been largely halted in most kinds of environments."

Well known photographer Dave, who is a familiar sight at most celebrity occasions in Liverpool also added that:- “I’m not getting any work in, as no papers or media outlets have the cash to buy photos. All, PR contracts have dried up, as no one is advertising and no events, yet as I’m press, and can work, plus I don’t have any studio or office, as I work from home, I have not even had the 10 thousand back in March 2020. I could not apply for the hospitality, leisure grant, as photographers are not classed as that. What a mess? I don’t know what to do.”

Plus, David, a photographer in Liverpool also told us that:- "This has also affected me. I’m a photographer and also have had no grants, as I do not have a studio and work from home.”

Angela Wilkinson, who has also contacted us added:- “I'm a professional photographer and I can't shoot at the moment. Yes, I can do Product Photography, possibly, if not in a photographic studio, but working with people is not allowed unless business to business and even then it's a very grey area, and definitely not in a studio. God, we all miss photography, but businesses are going bust, people are dying. We need to get this horrendous virus sorted as soon as possible.”

It isn’t just models, actors and photographers who we work with and use our services, that have been hard it, but completely overlooked; responding to our message from our VAMPHire.com contacts, established Author and well established Magician, Romany Romany also commented:- “In March 2020, I was looking at my best year ahead. I had 14 weeks booked to do my headline show on Seabourn cruises, a few corporate events, a few private parties, and a lot more would have come in over the year. I had contracts worth ₤18k which was good going considering the year had just begun. The life of a cruise ship entertainer and international magician is on the road, going through different airports weekly, lugging 60kg of stage props and costumes around the world, in Jan 2020 I had been in Africa, and in Febuary 2020 I performed in Fiji. Suddenly news of Covid hit the UK and just as suddenly ALL my gigs for the whole year were cancelled! I live in Brighton and had built a little theatre in my house with 25 seats. We put on shows for locals and invited schoolchildren in to perform magic. This didn't make a profit, but was a lovely way to share my magic with the community. In March 2020, after finding out that I wouldn't get any financial help from the Government, I realised that I had to downsize fast! I hired a builder to help me trash my little theatre and turn it back into a plain living room. I rented a little cottage in a little village in Cumbria near where my husband is living in a Buddhist community and managed to rent out my whole house on the 1st day of lockdown. The rent from the whole house covered the mortgage and my cottage rent. Luckily I had savings which I could live on. I moved up to Cumbria and waited for the world to return to normal. But it didn't. Theatres closed, parties cancelled, cruise ships sat idle. Despite the campaign from the three million other people also excluded from help from the Government, we continued to be ignored!”

Romany Romany, whose photo with Prince Charles, at the start of the report went on to say:- “There were many reasons for 3 million people being refused help. The criteria to get an SEISS grant had a lot of rules. I was excluded because in 2018/19 when they looked at our tax returns, I had 3 lodgers. They paid my bills while I took time out to write my book Spun Into Gold; The Secret Life of a Female Magician. This took two years to write and ₤8000 of my own money to self publish. I paid tax on the rent from the lodgers. In fact like the other 3 million Excluded, I paid tax for 26 years. But if you got more than 50% of your income from something other than your main income, like a part time job in a pub, then you don't get anything. In March 2020, I didn't have any lodgers and all my showbiz work was cancelled. The Government didn't care, they still said Excluded!”

She continued:- “As a self employed sole trader entertainer, I chose not to have children, I chose to re-invest any money over from my living expenses back into becoming a better performer. Most other artists I know do the same. That's how we improve. My costumes cost more than ₤1000 each. I paid a wonderful costume maker to design and make them. I hire video editors to edit my promo videos, I hire musicians to create music for my act. I hire a director to help me shape my act. I pay my accountant and a cleaner. I pay a tech guy to help me with my web site and someone else to help me with social media. My business might not make much of a profit, but it supports many other micro businesses.”

If you think she is just another act, well:- "In 2019, I was invited to perform for Prince Charles and his guests in St James' Palace. Prince Charles might not have been very impressed at my business acumen or Tax Returns, but he certainly enjoyed my show. ‘Absolute genius!’ He said. The effect of being ignored by this Government, told that my business is unviable and advised to retrain had a negative effect on my mental health. Although I could cover my bills with my savings and the rent from my Brighton house, this year has been challenging. If they had the foresight to recognise that most micro businesses contribute to the economy and had supported me, I might have been able to create something new this year and support other creative artists in turn. But they didn't. The rich are the first to hire artists, and the 1st to ignore them. I certainly won't be voting Tory in the next election. Among the Excluded UK campaign group 15 people have taken their own lives. Many have had to close their businesses and still more have lost their homes. We are hoping the UK’s Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will finally have the compassion and business sense to fix this terrible policy, within the budget, on the 3 March 2021."

Please let us know if you are affected by this and what your thoughts are over the support being offered. Please email our newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.  If you are unclear what support is available, please see:- Gov.UK.  Also, we would strongly suggest people follow and support:- ExcludedUK.Org.

Editors note:- Just to add, in our next weekly edition we will be interviewing Romany about her book:- ‘Spun Into Gold - The Secret Life of a Female Magician’ that is available from Amazon and as an audio book on Audible and also from Merseyside based:- Beyond-Books.Co.UK.