As we approach the announcement of the Spring Budget from the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Wednesday 3rd March, Members of Parliament have written to the Chancellor in support of musicians. It is no secret that throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, freelance musicians have often slipped through the net of Government support schemes, and many have had to supplement their earnings through alternative temporary work, or have decided to retrain altogether. Some of these musicians are the very choir leaders that have worked tirelessly to keep their choirs running, learning countless new skills along the way.
With that in mind, Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP and David Warburton MP have written to Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP to express the need for support for the UK music sector which has been decimated over the last year, first by the pandemic, and then by new regulations regarding Britain’s exit from the EU, making it much more challenging and expensive for British musicians to work in Europe and vice versa.
While Project Get Singing is geared primarily at encouraging people to sing and to provide support to choir leaders, it is important to make clear to those that govern us what an important part music plays in all our lives, that for some it is the hobby that keeps them going, and that for others it is the very livelihood upon which they rely. Do consider writing to your own MP in support of the musicians you know in these very challenging times.
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