Committee Elections

In this round of elections, Equity members are electing:

eight industrial committees representing members working in different areas of the entertainment industry;
five equalities committees − Deaf and Disabled Members; LGBT+; Race Equality, Women and Young Members;
three national committees representing members in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All 16 committees are elected by and from Equity members. Any member who qualifies can stand.

Committees represent and work to improve working conditions for specific parts of the union. They:

Play an important role in setting priorities for their area of the union’s work;
Provide advice and represent issues affecting their members to the Council and staff;
Play a role in setting policy through the Council and Equity Conference; and
In the case of industrial (and some national) committees, are responsible for approving collective agreements.

Each committee has nine members elected every two years (if elected, your term will be July 2025 until July 2027). Members can only vote for the committees they are personally represented by. Every committee is supported by a committee secretary (a member of staff).

INDUSTRIAL

There are eight industrial committees. You may stand for one of these committees only and you must be able to demonstrate professional earnings from the relevant part of the entertainment industry covered by the committee (£750 since March 2022). All of the industrial committees have delegated authority from the Council to negotiate industrial agreements in their area of work.

Committee	Committee’s Area
Audio	Members engaged as audio artists anywhere in the entertainment industry
Dance	Members engaged as dancers or choreographers anywhere in the entertainment industry
Directors & Designers	Members engaged as designers, directors or fight directors in all areas of theatre
Screen & New Media Actors	Members engaged as actors in audio and recording and in all areas of audio-visual work to be shown on screen in television, film, games, internet, non-broadcast and commercials
Singers	Members engaged in concerts, recordings (BPI agreements), church choirs, sessions singing and freelance opera singing
Stage Actors	Members engaged as stage actors
Stage Management	Members engaged in stage management in live performance
Variety, Circus & Entertainers	Members engaged as an act as known or otherwise working in variety, cabaret, burlesque, circus, story-telling and similar entertainment

EQUALITIES

The five equalities committees drive forward union policy and work in the interests of the members they represent.

The Women’s Committee is an intersectional feminist space, committed to being a safe and inclusive place for all women.

The LGBT+ Committee has three reserved seats for members who self-define as women, three reserved seats for members who self-define as men and three reserved seats for members who self-define as trans (including but not limited to transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, genderqueer and intersex).

The Young Members Committee comprises members who are 30 or under at the close of nominations (2 May 2025).

Evidence of work is not required to stand for an equalities committee.

Committee	Committee’s Area
Deaf & Disabled Members	Issues relevant to the engagement of Deaf and disabled members, including the promotion of equality and diversity and the elimination of disability discrimination, anywhere in the entertainment industry
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender + (LGBT+)	Issues relevant to the engagement of LGBT+ members, including the promotion of equality and diversity and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, anywhere in the entertainment industry
Race Equality	Issues relevant to the engagement of Black and Asian members and any other members facing institutional barriers due to their race or ethnicity, including the promotion of equality and diversity and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnicity, anywhere in the entertainment industry
Women	Issues relevant to the engagement of women members, including the promotion of equality and diversity and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sex and gender anywhere in the entertainment industry.
Young Members	Issues relevant to the engagement of members below the age of 31, including the promotion of equality and diversity and the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of age, anywhere in the entertainment industry

NATIONAL

There are three national committees representing members in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. You must ordinarily be resident in the relevant nation to stand for any of these committees, and you must be able to demonstrate professional earnings from any area of work covered by Equity (£750 since March 2022).

Committee	Committee’s Area
Northern Ireland	Members engaged in a professional capacity in Northern Ireland
Scotland	Members engaged in a professional capacity in Scotland
Wales	Members engaged in a professional capacity in Wales

Rules for all committees are available on the Equity website at: Rules of the union | Equity.

Committee Elections