A groundbreaking report has been launched to catalyse the UK’s creative sector, aiming to unlock significant economic potential.
- The Royal Society of Arts and partners outline a strategy for creative industry growth, highlighting possible economic gains of tens of billions of pounds.
- The report stresses the importance of regional collaboration, particularly through initiatives like One Creative North.
- Key industry figures advocate for enhanced investment, job opportunities, and skill development to elevate UK creative sectors.
- New government policies place creative industries at the forefront of economic strategies, promoting nationwide access to culture and the arts.
A significant report has been unveiled in Salford, which aspires to transform the United Kingdom into a global creative superpower. Jointly developed by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), Arts Council England, and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC), this report presents a comprehensive vision for unlocking the creative industry’s potential, which is estimated to be worth tens of billions of pounds.
The RSA’s Chief Executive, Andy Haldane, emphasised the government’s strategic focus on creative industries within its green paper on industrial strategy. He described the report as a blueprint for connecting regional creative hubs through ‘creative corridors’. This initiative aims to foster unprecedented collaboration across regions, epitomised by the One Creative North project involving northern mayors and the BBC.
At an event at the Lowry, the potential of these creative corridors was highlighted as a means to amplify the impact of existing creative hotspots, transforming them into synergistic superclusters. Professor Hasan Bakhshi of Creative PEC pointed out that, while creative clusters are widespread throughout the UK, they require collaboration to achieve the same economies of scale as seen in major urban centres like London.
Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England, noted the transformative power of collaboration within the creative community to spur national growth and innovation. This sentiment was echoed at the Convention of the North by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, who announced plans for a significant investment in One Creative North, aimed at nurturing and retaining local talent.
The report calls for a proactive government, society, and industry partnership to catalyse these creative sectors further. Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, expressed her commitment to driving growth across all regions, ensuring that regional contributions to the creative landscape are recognised and amplified.
The UK’s creative industries stand on the cusp of significant growth, driven by strategic collaboration and investment.
