Expanding Creative Landscapes: Fostering Creative Sectors Throughout the United Kingdom
The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) has published a new policy brief titled 'Resilience in Places: Growing the Creative Industries across the UK'. Authored by Claudia Burger, Eliza Easton, and Professor Hasan Bakhshi MBE, the briefing sheds light on the crucial role of 'Creative Places' in driving local growth and the 'levelling-up' agenda in the UK.
The policy brief uses census data to provide a comprehensive analysis of audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors for the first time. It outlines how research can help policymakers understand the creative sectors across the UK and develop policies for 'levelling-up' or growing and supporting the creative industries.
One of the key findings of the research is that creative industries tend to cluster geographically, often forming localized hubs or corridors which drive innovation and growth in their areas. These clusters are physically concentrated, fostering collaboration and raising productivity.
Another significant point made in the briefing is the shift in policy towards supporting city regions, combined authorities, and creative corridors. This aligns with the UK government’s devolution agenda and the Creative Industries Sector Plan, which prioritizes these areas as engines for growth and part of the levelling-up mission.
However, a key challenge identified is the difficulty in evidencing the real impact of investment on deprived areas. Data on where investment is allocated often does not reflect the wider geographic spread of benefits across networks of smaller towns, schools, and community groups. This leads to a mismatch between investment locations and areas of actual benefit, complicating measurement of outcomes for levelling-up goals.
To address this issue, the briefing emphasizes the need for robust, quantitative, data-driven approaches to trace the area of benefit or impact of creative industry investments across all UK nations and regions to ensure equitable growth and better inform policy.
Examples from case studies, including regions like Bradford, demonstrate that creative industries can support local jobs, community initiatives, and regeneration beyond central urban hubs, underscoring the sector's wider social and economic influence.
Regions like the Great South West illustrate the remarkable growth potential of creative industries outside London, with the sector driving thousands of jobs and contributing billions to local economies. This regional growth aligns with national priorities around frontier creative sub-sectors such as advertising, music, performing arts, video games, and film & TV.
The briefing also highlights how culture-led capital projects can catalyse local decision-making and empowerment within communities, contributing to place-based growth strategies at a local level (e.g., projects in Medway and Sheffield).
While the briefing does not provide specific details about the interventions that could support the creative sector to flourish, it proposes three ways to support growth in the creative industries: by improving data methods, targeting policy support to ensure investment reaches disadvantaged areas, and fostering inclusive growth.
The UK television production sector is one of Britain's leading creative export sectors, contributing almost £116 billion in GVA in 2019, growing four times faster than the UK economy as a whole. One in eight UK businesses are part of the creative industries, making it a significant contributor to the UK's economy.
The policy briefing is part of a week on 'Creative Places' and can be referenced at: https://our website/policy-briefings/resilience-in-places-growing-the-creative-industries-across-the-uk. The briefing is published by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and is an essential read for policymakers, industry leaders, and anyone interested in the future of the creative industries in the UK.
- The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) has highlighted the importance of 'Creative Places' in driving local growth and the 'levelling-up' agenda in the UK through its policy brief titled 'Resilience in Places: Growing the Creative Industries across the UK'.
- The briefing, authored by Claudia Burger, Eliza Easton, and Professor Hasan Bakhshi MBE, uses census data to analyze audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors for the first time.
- The research findings highlight that creative industries tend to cluster geographically, forming localized hubs or corridors that drive innovation and growth.
- The policy shift towards supporting city regions, combined authorities, and creative corridors aligns with the UK government’s devolution agenda and the Creative Industries Sector Plan.
- A key challenge identified is the difficulty in evidencing the real impact of investment on deprived areas, leading to a mismatch between investment locations and areas of actual benefit.
- To address this issue, the briefing emphasizes the need for robust, quantitative, data-driven approaches to trace the area of benefit or impact of creative industry investments.
- Case studies show that creative industries can support local jobs, community initiatives, and regeneration beyond central urban hubs, demonstrating the sector's wider social and economic influence.
- Regions like the Great South West demonstrate the remarkable growth potential of creative industries outside London, contributing billions to local economies.
- Culture-led capital projects can catalyse local decision-making and empowerment within communities, contributing to place-based growth strategies at a local level.
- The briefing proposes three ways to support growth in the creative industries: improving data methods, targeting policy support to ensure investment reaches disadvantaged areas, and fostering inclusive growth.
- The UK television production sector, one of Britain's leading creative export sectors, contributed £116 billion in GVA in 2019, making it a significant contributor to the UK's economy with one in eight UK businesses part of the creative industries.
