What we want from the Autumn Budget
On 28 October, Chancellor John Healey will deliver the Autumn Budget, setting out the Government’s plans for public spending and the economy. Ahead of the announcement, ALCS is calling on the Government to recognise the vital contribution of writers to the UK’s creative industries and consider measures that would help ensure they are fairly rewarded for their work.
Authors’ earnings have long been under pressure. Our 2022 survey found that authors’ median earnings have fallen sharply in recent years, declining by around 60% in real-terms from 2006 to 2022, underscoring the financial precarity faced by many creators. While there are many contributing factors to this decline, it is notable that UK authors do not benefit from some schemes that would compensate them for uses of their work that can be found in many other countries.
To help address these challenges, ALCS is calling on the Government to consider two measures that could provide greater financial support for writers in the UK.
The Smart Fund
We are joining partners in calling for the Government to look at introducing a Smart Fund in the UK. This would introduce a UK equivalent of the private-copying remuneration schemes that are already established in many other countries. These schemes work to remunerate authors for a variety of uses of their work where smart devices and other technology are used to privately copy their work. The Smart Fund is an established policy proposal that could provide remuneration for creators and performers, while potentially supporting wider cultural investment.
Leading manufacturers are already paying into similar schemes in 45 countries around the world, generating over £900 million a year for creators and performers. Many ALCS members already benefit from private copying income we collect from international sources. A Smart Fund would generate a new avenue of creative investment, paying a return to creators and performers for the use of their works on digital devices, supporting their creative overheads and helping to sustain their creative outputs.
Increase the Public Lending Right fund
Public Lending Right (PLR) compensates authors, illustrators, editors and translators when their works are borrowed from public libraries. It provides a simple, targeted and cost-effective way for the Government to support creators, particularly those whose books are primarily distributed through libraries or whose works are no longer in print but remain widely read.
By providing financial support to a broad range of creators, rather than just bestselling authors, PLR plays an important role in encouraging a diverse and thriving literary sector. Its payments are based on library borrowing, with upper limits on individual compensation, helping to ensure that funding reaches a wide range of authors whose works contribute to our public libraries.
Despite its importance, the Government’s contribution to PLR has remained unchanged for over a decade. Funding in the UK also lags behind that of comparable European countries. The UK’s PLR fund stands at approximately £6 million after administration costs, compared with £14 million allocated annually in Germany, equivalent to around £11.2 million when adjusted for population at current exchange rates.
ALCS is therefore calling on the Government not only to protect the existing PLR fund but to recognise the case for increasing it. Even a modest uplift could make a meaningful difference to authors across the country, providing greater financial recognition for their contribution to public libraries. With its equitable, usage-based distribution system, an increase in PLR funding would offer a straightforward and effective way to support creators, encourage diverse literary voices and help sustain the UK’s creative industries.
You can find out more about our advocacy work here.
