Festivals face “devastating consequences” without government insurance, report warns
Kendal Calling and Truck Festival announced the cancellation of their 2021 events due to the lack of government-backed coronavirus insurance.The committee praised the government’s £1.57billion bailout scheme for cultural institutions, but also warned that festivals faced a “survival threat” unless ministers establish a fresh insurance scheme.However, the government has repeatedly ignored calls to implement an insurance scheme so festivals won’t face financial ruin should they be forced to cancel as a result of the pandemic.Speaking in Parliament yesterday (March 23), the under-secretary of state for culture, Nigel Huddleston MP, stressed that the government was “aware of wider concerns about the industry, including insurance”.With