PERCY & WARREN WITH POLICY MAKERS FOR THE MEDIA INDUSTRY
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Chair Meeting
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP DBE
Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Holly Miller
Co-Founder and Director,
Percy & Warren
In February, Percy & Warren met with Dame Caroline Dinenage MP DBE, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, at the House of Commons as we working towards a closer and more constructive working relationship with the department to better assist UK production companies and the policy landscape facing indies and producers.
The conversation was focused on the practical challenges that small and mid-sized producers encounter when engaging with government – particularly around access to tax incentives, administrative complexity, communication pathways and transparency in the system.
While support exists, the process of navigating and accessing it is invariably challenging for independents and the direct dialogue is typically reserved for big studios or aggregated via bodies.
What was discussed…
• Increased support for lower-budget British content across film and television
• The case for tax credit parity for unscripted
• The next round of the Select Committee’s State of Play sessions that address clearly defined, solvable industry obstacles – last year’s included the Deaf Olympics, live comedy and performing arts touring in the EU
• Creating more structured pathways for independent producers to engage with CMS Committee and parliamentary processes
Film and TV is a huge part of our culture, currency and society and is a significant contributor to UK GDP – the appropriate infrastructure is vital.
Independent producers are central to the UK’s economy – generating IP, developing talent, sustaining production ecosystems locally and remaining competitive for the import of international productions. Ensuring their voice is heard in policy conversations is essential. It feels imperative to us that our network of independent TV and film producer voices can be heard by the people that can make a difference for them.
Constructive discussions like this are an important step in turning industry concerns into workable policy solutions. We are due to receive an update from Dame Caroline’s team on both the lower threshold for HETV and the low budget film adjustment.
What else would you want to see raised?
Below: House of Commons interior
Dame Caroline Julia Dinenage DBE is a British Conservative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Gosport since 2010. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 Political Honours.
- June 2013 appointed the Small Business Ambassador for the South
- April 2014 appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP
- 2015-2018 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and Minister for Women and Equalities, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years at the Department for Education and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance at the Department of Work and Pensions
- January 2018 Minister of State at the Department of Health & Social Care
- February 2020 until September 2021 Minister of State for Digital and Culture at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
- Currently Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
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