|
Subject: |
Greater Brighton Creative Industries Strategy 2022-25 |
|||
|
Date of Meeting: |
26 April 2022 |
|||
|
Report of: |
Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board |
|||
|
Contact Officer: |
Name: |
Donna Chisholm Assistant Director, Culture, Tourism and Sport |
Tel: |
07795 336493 |
|
|
Email: |
Donna.Chisholm@brighton-hove.gov.uk |
||
|
LA(s) affected: |
All |
|||
FOR GENERAL RELEASE
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT AND POLICY CONTEXT
1.1 Over the course of 2019/20 a substantial amount of research and consultation on future collaboration to strengthen the Creative Industries was led on behalf of the Greater Brighton Economic Board (‘the Board’) by Alex Bailey from Adur and Worthing Councils. The pandemic interrupted progress and it is now time to refocus on joint work to support this important industry sector with the development of a strategy to identify opportunities for the entire city region over the next three years.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS:
2.1 That the Board notes government policies on Levelling Up and the potential impact of this on the distribution of funding from bodies relevant to the Creative Industries in the Greater Brighton area.
2.2 That the Board agrees to a working group being established made up of Greater Brighton Economic Board members, a representation of regional businesses and invited experts to agree the scope of the strategy and to the selection of a consultant to undertake this work.
2.3 That the Board agrees to allocate £25,000 to the appointment of a consultant to prepare the strategy in response to the brief prepared by the working group.
2.4 That the completed strategy and an implementation plan come back to the Board for approval on 18th October 2022.
3. CONTEXT/ BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1 At the January 2020 meeting of the Board, a paper was approved which noted the progress made in mapping the creative industries across Greater Brighton and that further research being undertaken. The paper is included as appendix 1 to this report. The 2020 paper noted the election of a new government and the emergence of a new 10-year strategy from Arts Council England (ACE) both of which are now relevant to the rationale for preparing a creative industries strategy for Greater Brighton.
3.2 Dr Josh Siepel from the Policy and Evidence Centre at the University of Sussex gave a presentation at the January 2020 Economic Board meeting where he covered key facts about the size and scale of the creative industries clusters operating across Greater Brighton. He indicated that further research was being undertaken. His progress report is included as appendix 2 to this paper.
3.3 On 2nd February 2022 the Government published their Levelling Up White Paper. This outlined their flagship post-Brexit domestic policy ambitions, providing a series of what are called Capitals, Pillars and Missions which aim to reduce regional disparity across the UK. The creative industries, arts and culture were referenced more than 100 times in the white paper, and it went far in acknowledging the contributions the creative industries make to benefitting both the economy and quality of life for everyone.
3.4 The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has made clear her desire to reflect the Levelling Up agenda in both policy making and funding distribution for culture and creative industries. She has made a link between local areas who are ambitious to develop their creative sector, existing clusters which could be strengthened, and prioritisation for funding.
3.5 The Arts Council England (ACE) and DCMS reflected this in their recent announcement of Priority Places and Levelling up for Culture Places 2022-26[1]. A combined total of 109 places across England were identified as being a focus for additional ACE/DCMS engagement and investment. However, ACE were careful to point out there is no guarantee of additional investment. In the Greater Brighton area, Adur, Arun and Crawley are identified places.
3.6 The research completed by Dr Siepel indicates relative strengths across creative industries subsectors in the Greater Brighton area, including in Adur, Arun and Crawley, as well as in other parts of the region. These includes subsectors such as broadcast media (TV and radio), computer software, animation and music. There is an opportunity for strategic collaboration around sharing skills and talent, inward investment, space for business growth and accessing investment.
3.7 In February 2022 a £50 million funding boost was announced to support growth in creative industries businesses[2], This announcement also indicated that a sector vision would be published by DCMS in summer 2022. This vision will set out a long-term strategy focused on promoting growth within the sector and delivering on the government’s Levelling Up, Global Britain and net zero objectives.
3.8 This funding announcement included £18 million for expanding the Creative Scale up programme. This pilot programme was provided with £4 million initially to operate across three English combined authority regions – West of England, West Midlands and Greater Manchester. Encouragement of partnerships between councils and across functioning economic geographies are an increasing feature of recent government policy.
3.9 Given the significance of regions and clusters within the creative industries, it is likely that a Greater Brighton approach to strategic development of the sector, articulated through a strategy for the city region, would strengthen any future bids into national initiatives. It is acknowledged that, in general terms, the South East may not be seen as a priority area for Government under Levelling up, however, the combined size of the sector across Greater Brighton would be difficult to ignore.
Development of a Creative Industries Strategy 2022-25
3.10 It is proposed that the aim of the strategy is to enable creative businesses in the Greater Brighton area to compete effectively and to scale-up their enterprises, creating and safeguarding employment. Previous papers to this Board (see Appendix 1) provided an analysis of the range of business and sector growth issues faced by businesses from across the Greater Brighton Area.
3.11 A working group of up to 10 people would be established to scope the outcomes sought from the strategy and prepare a brief for the work. They would be drawn from Greater Brighton member authorities and include representation from entrepreneurial business leaders (from micro and SME sized businesses) as well as industry experts. It is likely they would meet six times in total and on a monthly basis.
3.12 In it recommended that the strategy is sufficiently well developed to demonstrate partnership in key areas where initiatives at Greater Brighton level will make a significant difference for creative industries businesses. However, the strategy will not seek to solve every challenge faced by creative industries businesses in the city region. This would be a major undertaking and may not provide a good return on investment.
4. ANALYSIS & CONSIDERATION OF ANY ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
4.1 The alternative option is Do Nothing in this instance. This not the preferred option given recent announcements by DCMS relating to the importance of the Creative Industries as part of economic recovery, combined with ministerial statements linked to directing future funding.
4.2 A focused approach to producing a creative industries strategy which covers the Greater Brighton area and highlights opportunities for business and sector growth is considered the best and most timely option.
5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION
5.1 Engagement with the sector took place in the twelve months leading up to the paper presented to GBEB in January 2020. Since then, the focus from local authorities has been on providing support for businesses to ensure their survival through successive lock downs and then pressures caused by staff shortages.
5.2 The process of producing a Creative Industries Strategy for Greater Brighton will require business engagement and stakeholder consultation. The outcome of this exercise will shape the areas of focus for the strategy.
6. CONCLUSION
6.1 The implications of the government’s Levelling up Agenda continues to become clear and DCMS have responded to the White Paper through a series of early funding announcements to restore growth in the Creative Industries. The Secretary of State has indicated she intends to bring forward further announcements which will combine support for the Creative Industries with Levelling Up.
6.2 Greater Brighton has cluster strengths in the sector, as evidenced in a paper brought to GBEB in 2020 and a report produced by Dr Josh Seipel at this time. Research indicated the sector tends to grow via globally competitive clusters linked to place. DCMS have a particular focus on regions and clusters and it is likely that the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which will be published by Government this year, will call for local strategies. These should be specific to place and within this context, identify where public sector interventions could accelerate recovery and growth. Future funding routes are likely to be linked to the strength of local strategies, existing competitive advantages, and the scale of opportunity.
7. FINANCIAL & OTHER IMPLICATIONS:
Financial Implications:
7.1 A sum of £25,000 will be allocated from the 2022/23 Greater Brighton operational budget to provide consultancy support in advising the working group on the strategy for the Creative Industries in the Greater Brighton area.
Finance Officer Consulted: Rob Allen, Principal Accountant Date: 12/04/22
Legal Implications:
7.2 The Board has the power to appoint a working group which is time limited (six
months, with the option to extend for a further six months), to carry out
focused pieces of work and reporting back regularly to the Board.
Lawyer Consulted: Joanne Dunyaglo Senior Property Lawyer Date: 13/04/22
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Appendices:
1. The Greater Industries of Greater Brighton (Update) Report to the Greater Brighton Economic Board 28th January 2020
2. Creative Industries in Greater Brighton: A Progress Report by Dr Josh Siepel to the Greater Brighton Economic Board 28th January 2020