Government ministers are reportedly looking into launching a ‘Seat Out to Help Out’ scheme in a bid to encourage people to start attending theatres and live entertainment venues again.
Theatres across the UK have been allowed to reopen with socially-distanced audiences since 15th August, although this was not the case in Greater Manchester and other areas of the country where local lockdown restrictions apply.
The majority however have chosen to remain closed and bosses within the industry have said they will not be able to finance performances without their audiences at a near-full capacity. It’s currently thought that the majority of theatres are operating at around a 25% capacity, but need to be at around 70-80% capacity to be financially viable.
The government previously pledged £1.57 billion to keep the arts sector afloat, but the industry has still seen thousands of people made redundant throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
‘Seat Out to Help Out’ would provide discounts for those with a ticket.
ADVERTISEMENT
The scheme is predicted to resemble the recent Eat Out to Help Out scheme – launched by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak – which gave people up to 50% off the first £10 of their meals on Monday to Wednesdays throughout August.
A government source told the Sunday Times: “It could be tickets for a tenner on a Monday, with a link to local restaurants.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Royal Exchange Theatre
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has warned that the nation needs to “get back into theatres” to stop them from going out of business.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: “We need to start filling seats in much larger numbers – not just for the audiences, not just for the venues and livelihoods who depend on them, but for the entire urban economy, too.
“Theatre is a lynchpin of London’s West End and its absence is painfully reflected in its deserted streets. Innovation is key. It has the ability to rewrite the entire script, and I’m keen to take some of the best experimental ideas for getting people into our theatres safely and put them into practice.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He then discussed the possibility of improving ventilation in theatres, or securing “quick turnaround testing” – which would allow for theatre-goers to confirm that they do not have the virus before attending that evening – and added that there were people “waiting in the wings to get full performances back on during the crucial Christmas period” who had his full support.
Details of a potential Seat Out to Help Out are thought to be announced in due course.
News
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
News
Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
The Manc -
7th September 2020 
