The Culture Secretary is to announce a £60m package to “turbocharge” creative growth, with £40m set aside for the Nations and regions.
Lisa Nandy is in Gateshead to reveal the government’s first step towards delivering its “modern Industrial Strategy.”
The multimillion pound package includes £40m for start-up video game studios, British music and film exports and creative businesses outside of London.
“From film and fashion to music and advertising, our creative industries are truly world-class and play a critical role in helping us deliver on this Government’s mission to drive economic growth in all parts of the UK,” she will say at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
“Our £60 million funding boost will support creative and cultural organisations across the UK to turbocharge growth by transforming local venues, creating jobs, supporting businesses and spreading opportunity across the country.
“But this is by no means the limit of our ambitions, which is why the creative industries are at the heart of the forthcoming Industrial Strategy and will continue to play a key part in this Government’s Plan for Change.”
The conference is described as the government’s first step towards publishing its Creative Industry Sector Plan in the Spring, which will set out the “enormous growth potential” of the sector and where the biggest opportunities are both nationally and globally. It also hopes to identify the key barriers currently holding back the sector’s growth.
Later today, Lisa Nandy will say that the priority regions for Creative Industries are: the North East, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, Greater London, West of England, South Wales, Glasgow, Edinburgh-Dundee corridor and Belfast.
In addition, the government will provide more funding, as part of its Spending Review, to 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities – North East, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, West of England.
This will be used to “maximise the strengths of these areas to deliver growth.”
In addition a “Soft Power Council” is to be set up, to promote international growth and investment.
“Soft power is fundamental to the UK’s impact and reputation around the world. I am often struck by the enormous love and respect which our music, sport and educational institutions generate on every continent,” added Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
“But we have not taken a sufficiently strategic approach to these huge assets as a country. Harnessing soft power effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.
“That is why I have created the Soft Power Council to channel British expertise as we look to re-imagine Britain’s role on the world stage, reinvigorate alliances and forge new partnerships.”
There will also be changes in the way that creative business can access finance.
The British Business Bank, which supports £17.4bn of finance to over 64,000 smaller businesses, said that it has committed to increase its support for creative businesses to access the finance they need to grow.
Broken down the £60m support package includes:
£40m funding over the next financial year, with a further £16.3m for the Create Growth Programme; £2.5m for the Supporting Grassroots Music Fund; £5.5m for the UK Games Fund, £1.6m for the Music Export Growth Scheme and £7m for the UK Global Screen Fund.
Four cultural project will receive £16.2m from the Cultural Development Fund.
These include the Newcastle-based Centre for Writing, a new creative centre for the written word, to strengthen Newcastle’s position as a national centre of excellence for writing and publishing. The centre is expected to support over 100 trainees and attract 35 creative businesses to the city (£5 million);
““We’re thrilled and excited that central government has chosen to invest in our region’s cultural economy and infrastructure,” said Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, who spearheaded the campaign.
“Not only can creative writing play a vital role in the wellbeing and public health of the country, but it is also the backbone of our world-leading creative industries which employ 2.4 million. This project will be transformative for writing in The North and will bring benefits to so many people of all ages through high quality jobs and creative opportunities.”
Harmony Works, a music education centre in Sheffield, to transform a vacant Grade II listed building into a music education centre where young people from all backgrounds will be able to explore and hone their musical talents (£3.5 million);
There were also awards for Sunderland glassmaking facility Glassworks and The Tropicana, a cultural venue in North Somerset.
“We’re delighted to be working with the Department on today’s Growth Summit in Gateshead, designed to showcase the enormous impact that the Create Growth Programme has made right across England,” said Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive of Creative UK.
“Working with our partners at the NE Combined Authority on the programme, we have supported 100 businesses to develop the skills and knowledge needed to secure investment and achieve their growth ambitions. Through our own funds and relationships with other investors, by the end of March 2025 we will have seen a further £2.5m invested in over 35 North East businesses.”
More comments:
“The North East’s cultural offer is strong, and steeped in the pride and creativity of our people, places and industrial heritage. Now this investment means we are making it even better, and helping the North East stand tall on the national and international stage,” said North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
I want the world to know about our world-class arts and culture and discover our region, as a Mayor, I will back these industries. These investments will help create jobs, attract visitors, revitalise our city centres and create more opportunity for people across the North East to enjoy our brilliant cultural offer.”
LandsecU+I CEO, Mike Hood:
“As long-term investors in some of our country’s most dynamic creative hubs, including MediaCity in Salford, we’re encouraged by the Secretary of State’s plans announced today.
“As a next step, we would urge the Government harness the power of the creative industries to unlock growth opportunities in UK cities, by aligning the Industrial Strategy with its wider mission to deliver the homes and jobs our country needs.
“By joining these goals up, it’ll create more opportunities for partnership, which are already delivering on these missions – like MediaCity and Mayfield in Manchester. But there is so much more potential left to unleash.”
