Boosting Creative Industries: Resources for Municipal Governments
Title: Fire it up: Empowering your local creative industries with the Shared Prosperity Fund
Grab a chair and kick back, because we're diving into the hottest topic for local authorities around the UK – injecting some life into their creative industries with the help of the central government's Shared Prosperity Fund! Here's a nifty guide that can serve as a gateway to all the valuable research and insights that can turbocharge your creative sector game.
The Lowdown:This resource pack is tailor-made for those local goons who're considering giving their creative industries a major facelift – it's like a treasure trove of helpful info that'll help you navigate the bidding process for the Shared Prosperity Fund, which we've all heard about, right? It's not just for today, but also for whenever you need a solid dose of advice or deets about the sector.
Now, although each local authority's opportunities might slightly vary, we're confident that this hodgepodge of helpful hints will prove useful wherever you're based in the amazing land of the Union Jack.
Creative Industries: Big business, Baby!The creative industries are massive, coughing up a staggering £115bn (yeah, I said billions) to the UK economy before the dreaded pandemic – and the government is quick to notice their growth potential. Oh, and later this year, the administration plans to release a Sector Vision, setting out its goals for the creative industries over the next 10 years.
Creative communes can be found everywhere, from coastal and remote parts of the country, all the way to big urban jungles – these hubs don't just bring in the dough, but they also boost the quality of life and help foster community harmony.
Busting Limits:This pack of resources is meant to evolve with your help – we welcome any input on new case studies and research that'll help fill gaps in our know-how. Use the relevant sections to share your personal experiences, and let's make this package a true powerhouse of info!
Let's Get This Party Started:This package includes:
- A crash course on the characteristics of the creative industries
- Creative Industries national stats
- Success stories and learning points from projects
- Helpful tips on finding more about the creative sector in your area
- Insights from the UK Research and Innovation's Creative Clusters Programme, courtesy of Andrew Chitty, the Challenge Director
- Links to further reading materials to help you dive deeper into the realm of the creative industries
Hats Off:A big shoutout to Nerys Evans, who's seconded from UKRI, and to Gail Caig at the Creative Industries Council for helping compile this brilliant resource pack!
Extra Spice:Local authorities face both challenges and opportunities when investing in their creative industries as part of the government's Levelling Up agenda and the Shared Prosperity Fund. Previous initiatives for spurring growth, like Freeports, Investment Zones, and Enterprise Zones, often operated in siloes, making it tough for local authorities to harness their full potential collectively and align them strategically with creative industry needs. Capacity and resource constraints often plague local authorities trying to leverage substantial government funds while supporting tailored needs of diverse creative sub-sectors like music, film, and digital arts. Ensuring inclusive growth is essential, as is sustaining small creative venues and emerging talent.
On the flip side, substantial targeted investment, creative industry sector plans, integrated Industrial Strategy Zones, the role in Levelling Up through events and tourism, and new revenue and market opportunities await those that rise to the challenge and seize these opportunities. Success relies on overcoming coordination challenges, ensuring equitable access to resources, and sustaining grassroots creative infrastructure to truly deliver on the Levelling Up priorities and Shared Prosperity Fund goals.
- The creative industries, which contributed £115bn to the UK economy before the pandemic, are seen as a significant growth potential by the government, with plans to release a Sector Vision for the next 10 years.
- Creative hubs can be found across all parts of the UK, from remote coastal areas to bustling urban centers, enhancing the local economy and quality of life.
- This resource pack aims to be a dynamic document, welcoming input from users for new case studies and research to broaden its scope and knowledge.
- The pack contains a crash course on the creative industries, national statistics, success stories, tips for local exploration, insights from the UK Research and Innovation's Creative Clusters Programme, and links for further reading.
- The continued development and growth of creative industries is vital for inclusivity, sustaining small creative venues, and nurturing emerging talent, as part of the government's Levelling Up agenda and the Shared Prosperity Fund.
- Prior initiatives for growth have sometimes operated in isolation, making it challenging for local authorities to collaborate and align strategies effectively with creative industry needs.
- Local authorities often grapple with capacity and resource constraints when attempting to leverage significant government funds while addressing the diverse needs of various creative sub-sectors like music, film, and digital arts.
- Overcoming coordination challenges, ensuring equitable access to resources, and sustaining grassroots creative infrastructure are key to successful implementation of the Levelling Up priorities and Shared Prosperity Fund goals.
- Opportunities abound for those seized, with targeted investment, creative industry sector plans, integrated Industrial Strategy Zones, leveraging events and tourism, and new revenue and market opportunities available for those committed to the challenge.
