The government will soon be announcing the long awaited champion for freelancers in the creative industries. 

Following campaigning by many groups representing the self-employed, it was first confirmed in the creative industries sector plan published in June 2025 that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will appoint “a creative freelance champion…to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government”.

Freelancers are a key driver of the creative sector. Government data shows self-employment accounted for 28% of creative industries employment from April 2024 to March 2025, compared to 14% across the entire UK workforce.

Other data shows that although creative industries employed roles fell to 1,713,000 in 2024 from 1,744,000 in 2023, the number of roles for self-employed individuals and freelancers increased to 696,000, up from 675,000 the year before.

Writing on LinkedIn, Matthew Dowling, chairman of the Good Work Review Working Group for Self Employed Creators at the Creative Industries Council, said he has received confirmation that the freelance champion role has now been offered, and “an official announcement is expected in the coming weeks”. He added:

“For years, freelancers have lacked someone at government level to advocate for the millions of independent workers who too often feel overlooked, underserved, and invisible in national policy.

“There’s a huge opportunity to use this appointment as a milestone to recognise both the economic contribution of the freelance community and the role they play in our everyday lives.”

What issues should the freelance champion focus on?

We want to know what BCI members think the freelance champion should focus on. We have many freelancers in the Bristol Creative Industries member community and it’s very welcome news that the government is finally introducing this new role.

Research last year by Creative UK found the challenges faced by freelancers include late payment, a decrease in demand for their services as a result of generative AI and limited workplace protections. Supporting freelancers were among the issues raised by several BCI members when we asked them to share what they’d like to see the new government do to support the creative industries ahead of the 2024 general election.

We’ll be publishing an article on what Bristol Creative Industries members would like the freelance champion to focus on.

If you’re a BCI member and would like to be featured, send a quote of around 100 words outlining what areas you think the freelance champion should address to Dan Martin at [email protected]

About Bristol Creative Industries

Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network that supports the region's creative sector to learn, grow and connect, driven by the common belief that we can achieve more collectively than alone.