Petition to offer more support to the arts reaches more than 100,000 signatures

More than 100,000 people have signed a government petition asking for further support for the arts during the pandemic.

Set up by Miles Croxford, the petition was created on 15 June 2020 and will, according to Parliamentary rules, now be considered for debate in the House of Commons.

The petition asks that the Government "state where the theatres and arts fit in the Coronavrius recovery roadmap, create a tailor-made financial support mechanism for the arts sector and clarify how social distancing will affect arts spaces like theatres and concert venues."

It goes on to say that: "The government has addressed hospitality sectors such as restaurants and cinemas. They've stated how the sports will be resumed after the lockdown period. But there has been no mention of the arts. On 13 May Robert Jenrick was directly asked to pledge to protect this industry, which could be without income longer than other sectors, but he failed to give a clear answer. This further shows how the arts are being overlooked. The government must show more support for arts."

Many venues and organisations, including Sonia Friedman Productions, have supported the petition, which can be signed here.