New ‘Freelance Champions’ to put creative workers at the heart of Government’s policy-making

• Leila D'Aronville and Lizzie Crump have been appointed as the Government's Freelance Champions

• They will represent the sectors 703,000 freelancers within Government, including sitting on the Creative Industries Council

• The appointments deliver on a commitment made in the Creative Industries Sector Plan

Freelancers will be put at the heart of the Government's decision-making on the creative industries, as two new Freelance Champions have been appointed to represent the sector.

Today, the Government has appointed Leila D'Aronville and Lizzie Crump to the newly created roles. They will advocate for the creative industry's 703,000 self-employed, working to make sure their voices shape future policy.

The self-employed workforce is the backbone of the UK's world-leading creative industries. In 2025, 28.5% of the UK's 2.6 million-strong creative industries workforce were self-employed, almost double the rate for the wider economy (14.8%). 

The appointees will support industry's work to address the findings of the Good Work Review, a major review into working conditions across the sectors, which highlighted issues with unpaid work, limited opportunities for professional development, and difficult working environments, as well as high levels of job satisfaction, flexibility and autonomy. Job quality for freelancers was marked as a particular concern.

They will work closely with industry, including the freelance community, to build an understanding of this often-overlooked section of the workforce and ensure its needs inform government thinking. 

Leila and Lizzie are both freelancers themselves, bringing a combined 40 years of experience working in and representing the creative industries. Leila is the founder of the North East Cultural Freelancers, a network supporting freelancers and small organisations across the region. Lizzie is one of the Co-Directors of What Next?, the UK's largest free-to-access network for arts and culture, and has worked in cultural policy for many years.

They will be supported by Dave O'Brien, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Manchester, who joins the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on an academic secondment to provide research support. Their terms of reference are published on gov.uk. 

As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, they will also sit on the Creative Industries Council, a joint industry and government forum that represents and gives  a voice to the UK's creative industries.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said:

"The creative industries are built on the talent and dedication of freelancers, from runners on film sets to session musicians in recording studios. They deserve fulfilment and support in their careers like anyone else in work, and that's exactly what the appointment of the Freelance Champions sets out to do.

We are committed to making sure the creative sector remains a place where everyone can build a rewarding and sustainable career, no matter where you live or what job you're doing. 

Leila D'Aronville, Freelance Champion, said:

As someone who grew up in a freelancing family, and who continues to work freelance while championing the North East's independent creative and cultural workforce, I know first-hand the pressures and possibilities that shape freelance lives. It's why I've spent years advocating for better conditions, and why I'm honoured to take on this role.

Freelancers are essential to the UK's creative and cultural strength, yet too often misunderstood or overlooked. Lizzie and I are determined to change that. We will work with government, industry and freelancers themselves to build a fairer, more informed environment, one that recognises the realities of freelance work and supports people to build sustainable, rewarding careers. My commitment is to leave a legacy of greater fairness, clearer understanding and stronger foundations for creative and cultural freelancers.

Lizzie Crump, Freelance Champion, said:

I have worked in sector support and in policy for many years, and as a freelance cultural worker for almost as long. I am delighted to have this opportunity to advocate for our worth and value, and for our sustainable and equitable future. We all need the tools, conditions, and infrastructure to meet the many new and existing challenges and opportunities on our horizon.

Great policy is made when the people who it affects are heard and understood, and when decision-makers truly understand the issues and context they are working with.  We will use this role to champion creative freelance voices at the heart of our systems, and to add value to the brilliant work that colleagues round the country are already doing in support of this agenda and each other.

In the Creative Industries Sector Plan, launched in June 2025, the Government committed an initial £380 million into the UK's creative industries to make the UK the world's number one destination for creative investment, targeting a substantial increase in business investment by 2035. Since then, the government has continued to deliver on the plan, including recent announcements on measures to improve access to finance, boost innovation, and drive growth in the video games and music sectors. 

Sara Whybrew, BFI's Director of Skills and Workforce Development, said: 

"We are delighted to see the joint appointment of Lizzie and Leila to the new role of Creative Industries Freelance Champion. It has never been more important to ensure the voices of the sector's freelancers are heard in Government policy discussions and that close attention is given to ensuring our freelancers are treated fairly and with the respect they rightly deserve. 

The Government's Plan to Make Work Pay commits to ending illegitimate self-employment and associated practices that exploit parts of our freelance workforce, we will continue to work with Government to achieve this ambition. Lizzie and Leila know the BFI stands firmly behind them as they embark on the first phase of advocacy, and I hope, together with myriad sector stakeholders, we can enure the conditions for freelancers across the creative industries aid positive and stable portfolio careers, whilst ensuring we retain their vital skills."

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said:

Leila and Lizzie will make a vital difference to the creative professionals at the heart of our cultural sector. By working together, we can support freelancers, address sector-wide concerns, and ensure the sector has the research, data and resources it needs to flourish.

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said:

Freelancers are the lifeblood of the creative industries, but for years their interests have been overlooked in the corridors of power. 

That is why Bectu have been campaigning for a dedicated role to champion creative freelancers, and we are delighted that this appointment has finally been confirmed. 

There is a lot of work to do - whether it is ensuring freelancers' needs are properly reflected in the Employment Rights agenda, understanding how freelancers will be affected by tax changes, or examining the gaps in the social safety net and we look forward to working with the Champions so they can hit the ground running.

Nik Gunn from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) said: 

Freelancers are integral to the success of the UK's creative industries. At Creative PEC we've long advocated for the creation of a freelance champion with a robust brief within Government and we are delighted to see this become a reality today. The Freelance Champions have an important role to play in ensuring that freelancers are properly represented in policy, data and research. We look forward to working with them and colleagues at the DCMS and Creative Industries Council to ensure that the significant contribution of freelancers is accurately represented."