Guidelines for crafting political pledges centered around the Creative Industries, grounded in solid evidence.
The creative industries, a significant contributor to the UK economy with a Gross Value Added (GVA) of £101.5bn, have been overlooked in the House of Commons, according to recent reports. Despite the sector's economic significance, it has only been mentioned 305 times in the House of Commons since the last election, compared to the smaller, automotive industry which was mentioned 533 times.
Professor Hasan Bakhshi MBE, Director of Creative PEC and Professor of Economics of the Creative Industries, and Eliza Easton, Founder of Erskine Analysis and previously Deputy Director at the Creative PEC, have put together four evidence-led policy recommendations to support the creative industries and help address the nation's sluggish productivity.
The UK Government’s specific policy recommendations for supporting the growth of the creative industries and addressing sluggish productivity include:
- Accelerate innovation-led growth by increasing business investment from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035 and strengthening leadership in high-potential sub-sectors such as film, TV, music, performing arts, visual arts, video games, advertising, and marketing.
- Secure growth finance to enable creative businesses to scale and invest in new technologies and capabilities.
- Build a skilled and diverse workforce by expanding access to careers in the creative sector, with particular attention on supporting freelancers and self-employed workers through a newly appointed Creative Freelance Champion to advocate for freelance sector needs and systemic barriers.
- Increase trade and exports to raise the UK’s global influence as a creative hub.
Additional targeted policy proposals emphasize:
- Supporting grassroots arts organizations and independent practitioners, especially outside major cities, by removing systemic barriers, improving access to affordable, flexible “meanwhile” spaces for creative work, and strengthening regional networks to foster collaboration.
- Embedding sustainability in creative industries growth by promoting green skills, circular design, data-driven accountability on net zero emissions, and encouraging collaboration to develop infrastructure for reusing and recycling materials like sets, costumes, and props.
- Enhancing data and evidence for policy-making by modernizing employment codes and developing data models to better map freelance employment patterns, which will help tailor future productivity and growth strategies.
These recommendations are part of the broader Creative Industries Sector Vision 2035 aiming for the UK to become the leading global destination for creativity investment, innovation, and trade, supported by government-industry partnership, structured inquiries into challenges faced by freelancers, and cross-departmental engagement for environmental and economic sustainability.
Independent research groups also provide ongoing policy analysis for the sector. A policy briefing on "Creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns" is based on a PEC Discussion Paper. The creative industries employ more than 2 million people in the UK, and the television production sector is one of Britain's leading creative export sectors.
The policy brief "Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector" outlines recommendations for sustainable theatre production, and the publication date of the briefing is 8th November 2019. It is crucial for political parties to consider the creative industries and their needs in their political manifestos to ensure the sector's continued growth and success.
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