Cultural Renewal Taskforce and supporting Working Groups
The Taskforce and Working Groups have been set up to develop guidance for safe reopening of DCMS sectors following the latest coronavirus guidelines.
On 11 May 2020 the Prime Minister announced a roadmap for re-opening businesses and public places when they can meet COVID-19 secure guidelines.
To support the development of these guidelines, DCMS has set up a series of Sectoral Working Groups, working alongside the Cultural Renewal Taskforce. The Working Groups membership helps ensure strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines.
Role of the groups, membership and terms of reference
The Working Groups’ aims are to:
- Provide a forum for sector specialist and other experts to help develop guidance
- Identify and resolve practical, sector-specific guidance-related issues
- Develop a sector-wide plan for disseminating and implementing guidance
- Discuss actions and updates arising from the Cultural Renewal Taskforce
- Give stakeholders the opportunity to put questions and suggestions to Ministers
Organisations represented on each Working Groups are listed below. The taskforce and working groups also include a number of government departments including Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.
Each working group includes a wide range of relevant organisations and membership bodies to represent relevant sectors.
If you would like to contribute further ideas to their work please contact: enquiries@culture.gov.uk
| Working group | Lead Minister | Scope of each group |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting, Film and Production | Minister for Media and Data | Television production; film production; music production; advertising, video games and audio production |
| Entertainment and Events | Minister for Digital and Culture | Ticketed (and non-ticketed) entertainment and events (indoor and outdoor), including cinemas, theatres, music venues, festivals, concerts and esport gatherings. |
| Heritage | Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage | Heritage institutions and attractions, including indoor and outdoor activities; hired venues. |
| Library Services | Minister for Digital and Culture | Library services including those delivered to the home; supervised computer/internet/business advice access on an individual basis; loan services (e.g. click and collect); mobile library services; library buildings. |
| Museums and Galleries | Minister for Digital and Culture | This group will cover museums and galleries. |
| Sport | Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage | Professional and elite sport; non professional sport and physical activity including gyms, sports grounds, leisure centres, ice rinks, bowling alleys and swimming pools. |
| Visitor economy | Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage | Tourism accommodation; business tourism, including conferences; visitor attractions, amusement parks/ funfairs, arcades, zoos, bingo and casinos. |
| Youth | Minister for Civil Society | This will cover a range of youth service provision, including youth clubs and youth organisations such as the Scouts and Guides; as well as targeted youth work interventions for vulnerable young people. |
Cultural Renewal Taskforce members
- Tamara Rojo (English National Ballet)
- Alex Scott (former England international and Arsenal footballer and now a Sports Broadcaster)
- Sir Nicholas Serota (Arts Council England Chair)
- Edward Mellors (Mellors Group Events)
- Neil Mendoza (Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, Entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist)
- Lord (Michael) Grade of Yarmouth (TV executive and former Chair of BBC and ITV)
- Baroness (Martha) Lane-Fox of Soho (Founder of LastMinute.com)
- Mark Cornell (Ambassador Theatre Group)
- Simon Vincent OBE (President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Hilton Worldwide)
- Paul Nowak (Deputy Secretary General, Trades Union Congress)
Further information about the Cultural Renewal Taskforce.
Broadcasting, Film and Production working group members
- Advertising Producers Association (APA)
- Association of Independent Music (AIM)
- Audio UK
- BBC
- British Film Commission
- British Film Institute
- British Phonographic Industry (BPI)
- Channel 4
- Commercial and On-Demand Broadcasting Association (COBA)
- ITV
- Music Producers Guild MPG)
- NBC Universal
- Netflix
- Pinewood Studios
- Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT)
- Prospect
- Sky
- Sports Interactive
- STV
- The Musicians Union
- Unite
- Viacom (Channel 5)
Entertainment and Events members
- Adlib
- Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG)
- ATC Management
- Arts Council England
- Association of British Orchestras
- Association of Circus Proprietors
- Association of Independent Festivals
- Attitude is Everything
- Bectu
- Birmingham Hippodrome
- Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Bridge Theatre
- British Film Institute
- Cadogan Hall
- Concert Promoters Association
- Equity
- ESL Gaming
- Events Industry Forum
- Film Distributors Association
- Games London / London Games Festival
- Independent medical expert member
- LW Theatres
- Kenny Wax Productions
- Leeds Playhouse
- Live Comedy Association
- MRL Ltd
- Music Venue Trust
- National Outdoor Events Association
- Newcastle Theatre Royal
- Night Time Industries Association
- Nimax
- Notting Hill Carnival Limited
- One Dance UK
- Production Services Association
- Ramps on the Moon
- Really Useful Group (RUG)
- Royal Albert Hall
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
- Royal Opera House
- Secret Cinema
- Southbank Centre
- The Musicians Union (MU)
- The National Arenas Association
- Theatres Trust
- UK Cinema Association
- UK Theatre / Society of London Theatre
- Vue Cinema
- What Next?
- Young Vic
Heritage working group members
- Church of England
- English Heritage
- Heritage Alliance
- Historic England
- Historic Houses
- Historic Royal Palaces
- Landmark Trust
- National Lottery Heritage Fund
- National Trust
- Northern Ireland Government
- Prospect
- Scottish Government
- Welsh Government
Library Services working group members
- A Head of Library Service (put forward by Libraries Connected on a rotating basis)
- Arts Council England
- Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
- CIVIC
- Community Managed Libraries Peer Network
- Cultural and Leisure Officers Association / Community Leisure UK (representing trusts)
- Good Things Foundation
- Libraries Connected
- Libraries Unlimited
- Local Government Association
- Suffolk Libraries
- UNISON
- UNITE
Museums and Galleries working group members
- Art UK
- Arts Council England
- Association of Independent Museums
- English Civic Museums Network
- ICOM UK
- Local Government Association
- Museums Association
- National Museum Directors’ Council
- PCS
- Prospect
- Tate Gallery
- University Museums Group
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Sport working group members
- All England Lawn Tennis Club
- Badminton England
- British Cycling
- British Horseracing Authority
- British Olympic Association
- Dallaglio RugbyWorks
- David Lloyd
- England Golf
- English and Wales Cricket Board
- English Football League
- Football Association
- Goodwood circuit
- Horserace Betting Levy Board
- Lawn Tennis Association
- Local Government Association
- London Marathon
- Motorsport UK
- PFA
- Premier League
- Premiership Rugby
- Pure Gym
- Rugby Football League
- Rugby Football Union
- Silverstone Circuits
- Sport and Recreation Alliance
- Sport England
- Sport Industry Group
- Sports Ground Safety Authority
- Street Games
- The Boat Race
- The Great Run Company
- UK Active
- UK Anti-Doping
- UK Sport
- UNISON
Visitor economy working group members
- ABTA
- Airbnb
- Airlines UK
- Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA)
- B&B Association
- Bourne Leisure
- British Beer and Pub Association
- British Holiday & Home Parks Association
- Country Land and Business Association (CLA)
- Events Industry Board i
- Expedia
- Glazebrook House Hotel
- GMB
- Hilton
- Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
- Merlin
- Northern Ireland Government
- Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance
- People 1st
- Rabbie’s Tours
- Scottish Government
- Scottish Tourism Alliance
- The Art School Restaurant, Liverpool
- Tourism Alliance
- UK Inbound
- UKHospitality
- UNITE
- Visit Britain
- Visit England
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour
- Welsh Government
- Zip World
Youth working group members
- Department for Education
- Duke of Edinburgh Award
- Local Government Association
- National Citizen Service
- National Youth Agency (Youth workers)
- OnSide
- Prince’s Trust
- Scouts
- Street Games
- UK Youth (Youth clubs)
- Unison
- UNITE
- Youth Ambassador - OnSide
- Youth Ambassador - Prince’s Trust
- Youth Ambassador - Scouts
- Youth Ambassadors - DCMS Youth Steering Group
- Youth United (uniformed groups including Guides, Cadets)
Progress made by the Cultural Renewal Taskforce
Below is a summary of the issues it has discussed and the work it has overseen in preparing sectors for Covid-secure reopening.
Key outputs to date:
- A £1.57billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions
- As of October 2020, 47 pieces of guidance had been produced for the Covid-secure reopening of recreation and leisure settings. This programme of work had enabled multiple sectors to open over the Summer of 2020 when transmission rates permitted, including:
- Domestic and international elite sport, and indoor and outdoor recreation sport
- Museums and galleries, libraries, cinemas, and heritage sites
- Amusement arcades, bingo halls and casinos
- Pubs, bars and restaurants (indoor and outdoor parts)
- Theme and adventure parks
- Outdoor gyms
- Youth clubs / facilities
- Outdoor events and performances
- TV production and film
Summary of Taskforce meetings
2020
22 May
- Overarching discussion on the steps needed for sectors to be ready for reopening, and for guidance to be developed to support this.
- Agreed the Taskforce’s role as the oversight body providing challenge and insight to support the development of guidance for Covid-secure reopening of recreation and leisure sectors.
- Agreed that the production of detailed guidance would be taken forward by eight sectoral Working Groups reporting to the Taskforce, each chaired by a DCMS Minister.
27 May
- Discussed key issues for sectors to reopen, particularly on potential regulatory easements, and agreed a range of proposals to be analysed and explored as possible solutions.
- Carried out a deep dive on issues affecting the Visitor Economy sector to provide the necessary detail for businesses and the public.
3 June
- Reviewed the progress made on producing guidance to aid preparations for the reopening of recreation and leisure sectors by July, with advanced drafts being developed and scrutinised by experts representing the interests of the sectors and its employees, alongside Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive, the DCMS Chief Scientific Adviser and trade unions.
- Discussed the importance of cultural support across the whole country.
- Discussed the potential for collaboration between the tech sector and arts and culture sectors.
10 June
- Discussed the challenges of providing guidance for audience based settings for events and venues.
- Considered industry standards/kitemarking and endorsement work that DCMS tested through the Visitor Economy Working Group.
- Acknowledged the importance of building consumer confidence and discussed ways to support this.
17 June
- Oversaw completion of drafts of all guidance for recreation and leisure sectors in readiness for the potential reopening of a range of settings in early July.
- Discussed Government work for a Comms campaign to increase consumer confidence in returning to recreation settings once reopened.
- Discussed addressing challenges for recreation sectors and settings in preparing for reopening
25 June
- Discussed the Prime Minister’s statement of 23rd June on the sectors that would be permitted to reopen on 4 July.
- Supported development of the ‘Enjoy Summer Safely’ campaign, which aimed to increase consumer confidence in safely returning to settings that could be reopened in the coming weeks.
1 July
- Discussed issues around insurance for settings such as theatres and live music venues.
- Discussed the Test and Trace programme and the ways in which the Taskforce’s sectors may be able to raise awareness of the availability of tests and support collection of customer/visitor data in reopened settings.
- Discussed the package of support that government could invest in protecting culture, arts and heritage institutions.
15 July
- Considered further interventions (non-pharmaceutical) that could help to reduce transmission risk in recreation and leisure settings.
- Discussed work to ensure other areas of sectors, such as gyms and dance studios could reopen in the coming weeks, including further guidance being produced to support this.
7 October
- Discussion on work conducted over the summer focusing on safe reopening of sectors. Acknowledging that the rises in cases had required tightening of restrictions, but that the lessons learned and data gathered could be used in future planning once reopening became viable.
- Discussion on the pressures placed upon sectors by the increased restrictions, but recognition that these were in place as a result of scientific evidence that rapid rises in infections were driven by social mixing.
4 November
- Review of the restrictions coming into force on 5 November 2020
- Discussion on mass testing in Liverpool, and whether this model can be expanded to support the reopening of DCMS sectors eg: sporting events.
- Discussion on the financial implications of the new restrictions, and the need to transparency and clarity as restrictions are eased. This will enable sectors to plan effectively.
2021
27 January
- Dido Harding presented an update on the progress of Test and Trace and provided detail of the importance of long term testing in enabling the identification and control of new variants.
- Vaccine rollout was discussed, with the expectation that those within the first four groups identified for vaccines would have received their first dose by Mid-February. Further work is being undertaken to understand transmissibility of the virus in those vaccinated, and the duration of immunisation.
- Discussion on the Prime Minister’s announcement of the publication of a plan for taking the country out of lockdown in the week beginning 22 February 2021, and how Taskforce members can contribute to the development of strategy.