Encouraging Creativity: Expanding the Creative Sector Throughout the United Kingdom
In a bid to support policymakers in understanding the creative sectors across the UK and develop strategies for growth and 'levelling-up', a policy briefing titled "Creative Places: Growing the creative industries across the UK" has been published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC).
The briefing, authored by Claudia Burger, Eliza Easton, and Hasan Bakhshi, highlights several key findings and recommendations to foster balanced growth across the UK’s creative industries.
One of the key findings is that the creative industries are a significant and growing part of the UK economy, contributing almost £116 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019, growing four times faster than the UK economy as a whole. However, the distribution of this growth is uneven, with London generating over 50% of sector GVA, while other regions lag behind.
Despite London’s dominance, vibrant creative sectors exist in regions such as the West of England, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire, which are receiving targeted investment and support through initiatives like the £150 million Creative Places Growth Fund.
The creative industries ecosystem is evolving rapidly, influenced by emerging technologies, global economic shifts, and climate considerations. This necessitates a responsive and data-driven approach to policy and investment. Regions like the Great South West are emerging as fast-growing creative hubs, with substantial employment and freelance creative workers contributing more than traditional sectors like energy or defense combined.
The recommendations put forth by the briefing include increased investment and support for creative businesses and freelancers outside London, with tailored interventions designed by local partnerships. This includes focused support on frontier sub-sectors like Advertising and Marketing, Film and TV, Video Games, and Music/Performing/Visual Arts.
The briefing also emphasises the importance of strengthening the granularity and regularity of official creative industries data, recognising and embedding the creative industries as integral to industrial and regional economic strategies, and supporting the development of creative corridors to foster collaboration and capitalise on regional strengths.
The Creative PEC is positioned to continue providing evidence and working with policymakers to adapt strategies as the sector evolves. Research published by the PEC has shown the importance of 'place' to creative businesses and their impact on neighbourhoods.
Eliza Easton, the Founder of Erskine Analysis and previously Deputy Director at the Creative PEC, and Hasan Bakhshi, a Professor of Economics of the Creative Industries and Director of Creative PEC, are the authors of the policy briefing. The briefing does not discuss advertisements or unnecessary information.
Small creative clusters outside major UK cities contain dynamic and resilient businesses, making the creative sector crucial for 'levelling up' and local growth agendas. The briefing outlines interventions that, if included in policymakers' approach to local growth, could help the creative sector flourish.
The briefing is related to other policy briefings such as Education, Skills, Talent, Internationalisation, State of the Nations, Geography of the Creative Industries, International, Trade, and Immigration. Additional related briefings include "Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector", "Audiences and Workforce in Arts, Culture and Heritage", "Authors' Earnings in the UK", and "Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate".
References: Burger, C., Easton, E., and Bakhshi, H. (2021). Creative Places: Growing the creative industries across the UK. Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.
DCMS (2021). Creative Industries Economic Estimates. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
- The creative industries across the UK are a significant and growing part of the economy, contributing almost £116 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019.
- London generates over 50% of the sector's GVA, while other regions like the West of England, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire lag behind.
- The creative industries ecosystem is evolving rapidly, influenced by emerging technologies, global economic shifts, and climate considerations.
- The briefing recommends increased investment and support for creative businesses and freelancers outside London, with tailored interventions designed by local partnerships.
- The briefing emphasises the importance of strengthening the granularity and regularity of official creative industries data.
- Regions like the Great South West are emerging as fast-growing creative hubs, with substantial employment and freelance creative workers.
- Small creative clusters outside major UK cities contain dynamic and resilient businesses, making the creative sector crucial for 'levelling up' and local growth agendas.
- The authors of the policy briefing, Eliza Easton and Hasan Bakhshi, are the Founder of Erskine Analysis and a Professor of Economics of the Creative Industries respectively.
- Research by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre has shown the importance of 'place' to creative businesses and their impact on neighbourhoods.
- The briefing is related to other policy briefings such as Education, Skills, Talent, Internationalisation, State of the Nations, Geography of the Creative Industries, International, Trade, and Immigration.
- Additional related briefings include "Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector", "Audiences and Workforce in Arts, Culture and Heritage", "Authors' Earnings in the UK", and "Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate".
