Encouraging local expansion in the creative sector via policy assistance

Encouraging local expansion in the creative sector via policy assistance

Supporting Local Growth in the Creative Industries: Key Recommendations

In a report published on 25th February 2020, titled "Insights from our industry champions: How policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries", several strategic areas were highlighted for fostering creative sector growth locally. Although a direct citation from the exact titled report could not be found in the current search results, relevant recommendations synthesized from the closest matches and authoritative sources include:

Establish affordable, resilient creative workspaces: Local governments should consider implementing studio subsidy programs and securing affordable rents with resilient infrastructure to support artists and creative businesses. This approach mirrors Asheville’s “RAD 2.0” proposal to reimagine creative hubs for safety and sustainability.

Invest in creative economy incubators and entrepreneurial support: Launching incubators that provide business development services, technical assistance, marketing support, and partnerships with educational institutions can enhance economic mobility for creatives, particularly low-to-moderate income residents.

Align cultural funding with broader urban and economic policies: Integrating arts into housing, economic development, and public health policies can address systemic income inequality and avoid fragmented, project-based funding.

Promote affordable housing, portable benefits, and revenue innovation for creatives: Developing affordable housing initiatives for cultural professionals, implementing portable benefits systems for freelancers and gig workers, and exploring innovative revenue mechanisms like tax credits and cooperative ownership models can support the creative community.

Create enabling environments at local levels: Local governments should support cities in unlocking the transformative potential of cultural and creative industries through policies that encourage social inclusion, innovation, and resilience, drawing from frameworks such as UNESCO and the World Bank’s ‘Cities, Culture, and Creativity’ (CCC) Framework.

Advance equity and social cohesion via creative industries: Policymakers should avoid extreme deprivation by ensuring policies simultaneously pursue economic prosperity and equity, supporting poverty reduction and inclusive growth in creative sectors.

Focus on skills, education access, and regional development: Addressing class inequality rooted in unequal access to arts education and supporting rural creative businesses’ development aligned with national ‘Levelling Up’ goals can ensure geographic equity in creative industry growth.

These recommendations collectively emphasize affordable infrastructure, inclusive economic support, integrated policy alignment, social equity, and local enabling frameworks as central to supporting local growth in the creative industries.

The policy brief "Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate" discusses the UK television production sector and its international trade. Other policy briefs, such as "International Trade and the UK Creative Industries", "Audiences and Workforce in Arts, Culture and Heritage", "Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector", and "Authors' Earnings in the UK", provide insights into various aspects of the creative industries.

The Northern Creative Corridor, an initiative aimed at connecting creative clusters across the North, and the policy brief "Three ways to support growth in the creative industries" outline additional strategies for supporting growth in the sector. LEPs (in England) who provide access to finance for creative businesses should consider simplifying their application procedures, and policymakers who want to attract and grow creative businesses in their local area should consider opening up available empty space, subsiding rent for creative businesses as they set up, and reducing creative business rates.

The panel discussion, held at the World Museum in Liverpool, addressed questions about success in the creative industries, local interventions, and additional local interventions needed. The research was conducted by consulting Industry Champions, trusted practitioners from across the UK in the creative industries. The photo in the article was taken by Alex Holyoake, and the author of the article is Claudia Burger, Policy Insights Manager.

The paper can be referenced as Easton, E. and Burger, C. (2020) Insights from our industry champions: How policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries. London: Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre. Available from: https://www.our website/assets/publications/Final-Insights-from-our-Industry-Champions_-Local-Growth.pdf

[1] Rad 2.0: Asheville’s Creative Hubs Redesign for Safety and Sustainability. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.our website/assets/publications/Rad_2.0_Creative_Hubs_Redesign_for_Safety_and_Sustainability.pdf

1. The report titled "Insights from our industry champions: How policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries" suggests that local governments should establish affordable, resilient creative workspaces, such as those proposed in Asheville’s "RAD 2.0".
2. Investment in creative economy incubators and entrepreneurial support can enhance economic mobility for creatives, especially low-to-moderate income residents.
3. Aligning cultural funding with broader urban and economic policies can help address systemic income inequality and prevent fragmented, project-based funding.
4. Policymakers should consider promoting affordable housing, portable benefits, and revenue innovation for creatives to support the creative community.
5. Local governments should support cities in unlocking the transformative potential of cultural and creative industries through policies that encourage social inclusion, innovation, and resilience.
6. Policymakers should aim to advance equity and social cohesion via creative industries, avoiding extreme deprivation while pursuing economic prosperity and equity.
7. Focusing on skills, education access, and regional development can help ensure geographic equity in creative industry growth.
8. The policy brief "Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate" discusses the UK television production sector and its international trade, and other policy briefs provide insights into various aspects of the creative industries.
9. The Northern Creative Corridor initiative and the policy brief "Three ways to support growth in the creative industries" outline additional strategies for supporting growth in the sector.
10. LEPs in England should consider simplifying their application procedures for access to finance for creative businesses, and policymakers who want to attract and grow creative businesses should consider opening empty space, subsiding rent, and reducing business rates.
11. The research was conducted by consulting Industry Champions, and the panel discussion, held at the World Museum in Liverpool, addressed questions about success in the creative industries, local interventions, and additional local interventions needed.

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