Latest news with #MattForde
Scotsman
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Despite the pleas, Tourist Tax income can only go so far
In the past week the new Edinburgh Festival Fringe chief executive, Tony Lankester, made the latest bid for a chunk of Tourist Tax proceeds. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Then comedian Matt Forde told a House of Commons Committee of impossible accommodation costs for working class comedians preventing them breaking though due to the 'Edinburgh Festival Model'. Matt Forde. Photo credit David Monteith-Hodge It seems we have a clash between left-wing politicians who wanted to sort 'over tourism' and the usually left of centre arts establishment complaining about the eminently predictable consequences. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The recent over-regulation of the Short Term Let Licensing has made tourist accommodation much scarcer in Edinburgh and pushed up costs, especially in August. It hasn't made the slightest difference to Edinburgh's 'housing emergency' and the cost of tourist accommodation will shortly jump further with the imposition of the Tourist Tax. So now Mr Lankester wants us to put all the Tourist Tax raised during the Fringe back into repaying the tax to performers and subsidising the pop-up venues that big promoters put on. The first of these is a circular argument and won't help in an accommodation market where supply is drying up and corporate hotel companies can't build rooms quick enough. The ability of the Fringe audience to find accommodation might become more of a problem first. The big promoters undoubtedly have costs putting on venues, but they increasingly recoup this in higher ticket prices and highly priced quinoa burger and beverage villages that discourage the spread of spend outwards to the local pubs and restaurants that are here all year round. They don't do this entirely philanthropically, there must be some profit to be made. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The promoters are also heavily built into the 'Edinburgh model' Matt Forde describes. But this model, that might see a performer booked for BBC TV or radio or a lucrative tour was chosen by those influential in booking comedy, not by Edinburgh or the Fringe. Mr Lankester did make two calls I'll support that would help residents, southern Scotland and visitors alike - the need for better mobile phone coverage in the Old Town and overnight train services to Glasgow each August. But these are things the mobile companies should be fixing and ScotRail should be enterprising enough to resolve if it makes financial sense, not a case for public subsidy. I suspect a grubby compromise will be found on the Tourist Tax spend. But really, the left on the council and the left-wing Scottish Parliament establishment need to decide what their policy priorities are. Right now, the Tourist Tax is trying to please all audiences at once and it just won't raise enough money to do that. Cllr Iain Whyte, Leader of the Conservative Group
STV News
02-05-2025
- Health
- STV News
System failures in Scottish care 'putting children's mental health at risk'
Fundamental changes need to be made to Scotland's care system as a matter of urgency, researchers have concluded following a study involving hundreds of children in foster care. The study looked at improving the mental health of children aged up to five-years-old in foster and kinship care. It found authoritative and consistent oversight of a child's journey through the care system was crucial in safeguarding children's wellbeing. The researchers believe better and quicker decisions would be made if a single sheriff or expert oversaw a child's journey through care proceedings. The study by University of Glasgow in partnership with NSPCC and other universities was the largest of its kind, involving 488 children and their families from Glasgow and London. Helen Minnis, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, said: 'We know infant mental health interventions work well in many circumstances, and our study targeted the children who most need these services. 'Yet, our study showed it was impossible to deliver infant mental health services to these children because of failings in our systems. 'Short timescales in England affected families' ability to access treatment. 'Yet in Scotland, with no legal timescales, we found there were significant delays and drift in the care system, having an unacceptable impact on young children's mental health and also creating massive unnecessary costs to the Scottish economy. 'It is urgent that changes are made to the care system in the UK so that young children in foster care, and their families, can receive the help they need.' Matt Forde, NSPCC partnerships and development director, said: 'Sadly, children in foster care are more likely to have mental health difficulties. 'Experiences of abuse and neglect are part of this, and what happens once a child is in care can also affect their mental health. 'Our first relationships and experiences are the building blocks of our wellbeing and development. 'Providing early mental health support for infants and their parents and foster carers, helps build trusting relationships between the child and the adults caring for them. 'This can break down barriers and help parents better understand their child's experiences and find new ways to connect. 'Such services need to be an integral part of the social care and family justice system, so recommendations from treatment can properly inform life-changing decisions for these children. 'For that to be made possible, it is crucial that we have clear authoritative leadership at every stage of a child's journey through the care system to make sure timely decisions are made.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Soaring Fringe costs mean comedy 'becoming more elitist', comedian Matt Forde warns
The 'Edinburgh model' is making it 'almost impossible' for working class people to become comedians Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The cost of performing at the Edinburgh festival Fringe is making comedy 'more elitist', a leading stand-up has warned. Comedian Matt Forde said the 'Edinburgh model' is making it 'almost impossible to become a working-class, successful comedian in this country'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Giving evidence to a Westminster select committee on the live comedy sector, Mr Fforde, 42, who presented political satire programme Unspun, said: 'A lot of comedy clubs, the money has gone backwards since when I first started gigging. The money has got worse.' 'People face higher costs and less money for the work that they're doing, and then, really, until the birth of TikTok and social media, the main way really to get discovered as a comedian, to really get a career on the whole – and this isn't true for everyone – was to really have a successful Edinburgh Festival. 'And performing at the Edinburgh Festival costs a fortune, and the single biggest cost is accommodation.' Last year, the Fringe Society submitted evidence to the Scottish Government warning of an accommodation crisis in the city during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The organisation said the costs faced by performers and companies trying to book long-term accommodation in August had soared by up to 300 per cent in the space of six years, with up to £9,000 now being charged to stay in a one-bedroom flat in the city for the entirety of the event. Mr Forde added: 'The single biggest barrier to be able to perform, and indeed visit the Edinburgh Festival, is the exorbitant rents that landlords charge. 'And year after year it has gone up and up and up, and I think performers and audience members are prepared to pay a bit of a premium for staying in someone's house that they've had to vacate for a month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But it is growing exponentially year on year on year, and that is meaning that comedy at that level is becoming more elitist.' Mr Forde said that the 'only people' who can afford to do hours of unpaid work in the hopes that comedy will become a full-time job 'are privileged people'. Comedian Matt Forde giving evidence about the state of play in live comedy, before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, London. | PA 'And then the only people that can afford to perform at Edinburgh, and indeed visit Edinburgh, are privileged people,' he said. Last year, ex-BBC presenter Gail Porter said she had been 'priced out' of attending the festival in her hometown due to 'the soaring costs of B&Bs'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Forde said: 'The Edinburgh model is making it almost impossible to become a working-class successful comedian in this country, and the lack of recognition from Government, I should add, is part of that problem.' He also discussed the benefits of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels bringing a British version of the long-running US sketch comedy show to Sky - warning that the show would not 'dramatically change the culture' in the UK. 'I'm really excited that SNL is coming to the UK. I think it's a very good thing,' he said. 'I think we need more topical comedy on telly. We need more sketch on telly. 'You go to the Edinburgh Festival, you see amazing sketch shows, it's a real breeding ground for talent. It's a different discipline to individual stand-up, and there should be more of it on telly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But I think SNL in itself isn't going to dramatically change the culture here.' Edinburgh Festival Fringe has helped to launch the careers of numerous comedians and writers. Phoebe Waller-Bridge premiered her play Fleabag at the festival and Richard Gadd performed Baby Reindeer there, before it was transformed into a hit Netflix series.
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Soaring Fringe costs mean comedy is 'becoming more elitist', leading stand-up warns
The 'Edinburgh model' is making it 'almost impossible' for working class people to become comedians Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The cost of performing at the Edinburgh festival Fringe is making comedy 'more elitist', a leading stand-up has warned. Comedian Matt Forde said the 'Edinburgh model' is making it 'almost impossible to become a working-class, successful comedian in this country'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Giving evidence to a Westminster select committee on the live comedy sector, Mr Fforde, 42, who presented political satire programme Unspun, said: 'A lot of comedy clubs, the money has gone backwards since when I first started gigging. The money has got worse.' 'People face higher costs and less money for the work that they're doing, and then, really, until the birth of TikTok and social media, the main way really to get discovered as a comedian, to really get a career on the whole – and this isn't true for everyone – was to really have a successful Edinburgh Festival. 'And performing at the Edinburgh Festival costs a fortune, and the single biggest cost is accommodation.' Last year, the Fringe Society submitted evidence to the Scottish Government warning of an accommodation crisis in the city during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The organisation said the costs faced by performers and companies trying to book long-term accommodation in August had soared by up to 300 per cent in the space of six years, with up to £9,000 now being charged to stay in a one-bedroom flat in the city for the entirety of the event. Mr Forde added: 'The single biggest barrier to be able to perform, and indeed visit the Edinburgh Festival, is the exorbitant rents that landlords charge. 'And year after year it has gone up and up and up, and I think performers and audience members are prepared to pay a bit of a premium for staying in someone's house that they've had to vacate for a month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But it is growing exponentially year on year on year, and that is meaning that comedy at that level is becoming more elitist.' Mr Forde said that the 'only people' who can afford to do hours of unpaid work in the hopes that comedy will become a full-time job 'are privileged people'. Comedian Matt Forde giving evidence about the state of play in live comedy, before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, London. | PA 'And then the only people that can afford to perform at Edinburgh, and indeed visit Edinburgh, are privileged people,' he said. Last year, ex-BBC presenter Gail Porter said she had been 'priced out' of attending the festival in her hometown due to 'the soaring costs of B&Bs'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Forde said: 'The Edinburgh model is making it almost impossible to become a working-class successful comedian in this country, and the lack of recognition from Government, I should add, is part of that problem.' He also discussed the benefits of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels bringing a British version of the long-running US sketch comedy show to Sky - warning that the show would not 'dramatically change the culture' in the UK. 'I'm really excited that SNL is coming to the UK. I think it's a very good thing,' he said. 'I think we need more topical comedy on telly. We need more sketch on telly. 'You go to the Edinburgh Festival, you see amazing sketch shows, it's a real breeding ground for talent. It's a different discipline to individual stand-up, and there should be more of it on telly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But I think SNL in itself isn't going to dramatically change the culture here.' Edinburgh Festival Fringe has helped to launch the careers of numerous comedians and writers. Phoebe Waller-Bridge premiered her play Fleabag at the festival and Richard Gadd performed Baby Reindeer there, before it was transformed into a hit Netflix series.
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Cost of Edinburgh Fringe means comedy is becoming more elitist, says Matt Forde
Comedian Matt Forde has said the cost of performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe means that comedy is 'becoming more elitist' in the UK. Forde, 42, who presented political satire programme Unspun, said the 'Edinburgh model' is making it 'almost impossible to become a working-class, successful comedian in this country'. Giving evidence to a Commons select committee on the live comedy sector, he said: 'A lot of comedy clubs, the money has gone backwards since when I first started gigging. The money has got worse.' ' People face higher costs and less money for the work that they're doing, and then, really, until the birth of TikTok and social media, the main way really to get discovered as a comedian, to really get a career on the whole – and this isn't true for everyone – was to really have a successful Edinburgh Festival. 'And performing at the Edinburgh Festival costs a fortune, and the single biggest cost is accommodation. 'The single biggest barrier to be able to perform, and indeed visit the Edinburgh Festival, is the exorbitant rents that landlords charge. 'And year after year it has gone up and up and up, and I think performers and audience members are prepared to pay a bit of a premium for staying in someone's house that they've had to vacate for a month. 'But it is growing exponentially year on year on year, and that is meaning that comedy at that level is becoming more elitist.' Forde said that the 'only people' who can afford to do hours of unpaid work in the hopes that comedy will become a full-time job 'are privileged people'. 'And then the only people that can afford to perform at Edinburgh, and indeed visit Edinburgh, are privileged people,' he said. Last year, ex-BBC presenter Gail Porter said she had been 'priced out' of attending the festival in her hometown due to 'the soaring costs of B&Bs'. Forde said: 'The Edinburgh model is making it almost impossible to become a working-class successful comedian in this country, and the lack of recognition from Government, I should add, is part of that problem.' Forde also discussed the benefits of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels bringing a British version of the long-running sketch comedy show to Sky. 'I'm really excited that SNL is coming to the UK. I think it's a very good thing. I think we need more topical comedy on telly. We need more sketch on telly', he said. 'You go to the Edinburgh Festival, you see amazing sketch shows, it's a real breeding ground for talent. It's a different discipline to individual stand-up, and there should be more of it on telly. 'But I think SNL in itself isn't going to dramatically change the culture here.' Edinburgh Festival Fringe has helped to launch the careers of numerous comedians and writers. Phoebe Waller-Bridge premiered her play Fleabag at the festival and Richard Gadd performed Baby Reindeer there, before it was transformed into a hit Netflix series. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee's evidence session was the first in a series of hearings to be held as part of the State Of Play inquiry, which has invited everyone from those in the UK creative industries that are often overlooked to send in their ideas on what MPs should be examining.
