2024 General Election
On Thursday 4 July the 2024 General Election took place. SOLT and UK Theatre have welcomed the new government and published a briefing for new MPs on the contribution the UK’s theatre sector makes and how we can collaborate to create the conditions for theatre to thrive.
In collaboration with the cast of Starlight Express, we visited Downing Street, the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with our letter to the Prime Minister!
To support our activity we developed the following resources for members:
- A guide on engaging with new MPs setting out the information to make the case for theatre.
- A Template Letter to send to MPs.
- An analysis of the three main party manifestos to help with engagement.
- A Pre-Election Briefing, that was aimed at local candidates, setting out our key asks.
In the pre-election period SOLT & UK Theatre:
- Engaged with candidates from across the political spectrum to make the case for the conditions for theatre to thrive.
- Supported members to effectively engage with local candidates.
Our key asks
Theatres are economic powerhouses and sources of transformative social good, embedded in communities up and down the country.
To achieve our full potential, the theatre sector needs the right fiscal and policy conditions to thrive. Costs are rising for our sector faster than revenue, which poses significant challenges.
Our key asks in this pre-election period are:
1. Invest in children’s access: Every child has the right to access our world-class theatre sector. It supports wellbeing, educational attainment and talent pipelines. However, access to the theatre is declining, despite the fantastic work producers and venues do across the country to improve and develop children’s engagement.
This is why we are calling on politicians to support our campaign to fund at least one trip to the theatre for every child before they leave school. #TheatreforEveryChild.
2. Invest in cultural infrastructure: We need a systematic and strategic approach to cultural infrastructure if theatres are to thrive. We stand ready to collaborate with politicians and other relevant stakeholders to achieve this. #ThrivingTheatres
SOLT & UK Theatre look forward to working with candidates and parties to achieve these aims.
