Focusing on financial aid beyond rescues: Proposing three strategies for the forthcoming Spending Review to bolster the creative sector industries
The UK Government is looking to revitalise the creative industries post-COVID-19, focusing on increased investment, skills development, diversity initiatives, and regional support. This approach aims to address business size disparities and sector-specific challenges, setting a path for resilient recovery and growth.
Key Strategies
- Increased Investment: The Government plans to invest at least 20% more than the 2019 levels, unlocking the creative sector's potential. This investment could create 300,000 new jobs and generate £132.1 billion in gross value added (GVA) by 2025, according to Oxford Economics.
- Enhanced Skills and Knowledge-Sharing: Programmes like the Creative Exchange, which links artists and businesses, are being promoted to bolster cross-sector collaboration and skills transfer. This initiative aims to tackle skill shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.
- Supporting Diversity and Inclusion: The Government is encouraging inclusive hiring, training, and development practices across the sector. Recognising that diverse talent strengthens creativity and innovation, these practices will be embedded across the industry.
- Addressing Business Size Challenges: Small and micro businesses, which make up a significant portion of the creative industries, will receive tailored support. This includes access to finance, digital technologies adoption, and market opportunities. Larger firms or clusters can benefit from regional and sector-specific initiatives like the Creative Industries Clusters Programme.
- Leveraging Regional and Devolved Government Initiatives: Innovative cultural support mechanisms, such as Creative Scotland and Northern Ireland’s Industrial Strategy, will be utilised. Coordinated UK-wide and region-specific policies can ensure recovery is balanced and inclusive across all nations.
- Promoting Culture as Economic Infrastructure: Private sector investment will be incentivised through tax reliefs or credits, and public-private partnerships will be recognised for their substantial contribution to local economies.
- Supporting Marketing and Advertising Recovery: A shift from short-term sales-driven campaigns to strategies emphasising long-term brand growth and innovation is encouraged. This is vital for sustained sector health and expansion post-pandemic.
Caveats
While these approaches are supported by recent data and initiatives through mid-2025, continuous monitoring and adaptation to economic conditions, skills gaps, and diversity outcomes will be required to ensure ongoing effectiveness.
This policy brief is based on a PEC Discussion Paper about creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns, and it uses census data to provide a comprehensive analysis of audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors for the first time. Additionally, the brief examines international trade in the UK creative industries, highlighting the UK's creative industries as internationally oriented.
The Government is planning a Comprehensive Spending Review to be published in Autumn 2020, and this policy briefing sets out areas for possible policy action regarding authors' earnings in the UK. The UK television production sector is one of Britain's leading creative export sectors, and the Northern Creative Corridor is an initiative aimed at connecting creative clusters across Northern regions.
[1] Source: Creative Industries Federation, 2019 [2] Source: Creative PEC, 2020 [3] Source: Nesta, 2020 [4] Source: UK Government, 2020 [5] Source: Creative England, 2019
- The UK Government is aiming to revitalize the arts sector post-COVID-19 by enhancing investment, focusing on a 20% increase from 2019 levels.
- This increased investment could potentially create 300,000 new jobs and generate £132.1 billion in gross value added (GVA) by 2025, as predicted by Oxford Economics.
- Programmes like Creative Exchange, linking artists and businesses, are being promoted to bolster cross-sector collaboration and skills transfer, addressing skill shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.
- The Government is encouraging inclusive hiring, training, and development practices across the sector, recognizing that diverse talent strengthens creativity and innovation.
- To address business size challenges, small and micro businesses will receive tailored support, including access to finance, digital technologies adoption, and market opportunities.
- Larger firms or creative clusters can benefit from regional and sector-specific initiatives like the Creative Industries Clusters Programme.
- Innovative cultural support mechanisms in regions like Scotland and Northern Ireland will be utilized, ensuring recovery is balanced and inclusive across all nations.
- Private sector investment will be incentivized through tax reliefs or credits, and public-private partnerships will be recognized for their substantial contribution to local economies.
- For a sustained sector health and expansion post-pandemic, a shift from short-term sales-driven campaigns to strategies emphasizing long-term brand growth and innovation is encouraged.
- This policy brief is based on a PEC Discussion Paper about creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns, providing a comprehensive analysis of audiences in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors for the first time.
- The UK's creative industries are being highlighted as internationally oriented, and the brief also examines international trade in the UK creative industries.
- The Government is planning a Comprehensive Spending Review to be published in Autumn 2020, focusing on possible policy actions regarding authors’ earnings in the UK.
- The television production sector is one of Britain's leading creative export sectors, and the Northern Creative Corridor is an initiative aimed at connecting creative clusters across Northern regions.
