Creative Times

Dear Editor,

Andy Lovatt’s critical piece on the Government’s creative economy strategy was timely and relevant.

As a consultant who worked with one of the groups contributing to the then ‘Creative Economy Programme’, I know that his view that it is largely old hat, lacking big ideas or new money, is commonly held. An early sign that it might not be cutting-edge came during the consultation phase, when it became clear that the DCMS database of ‘creative businesses’ was cobbled together from an incomplete ten-year old Yellow Pages list.

However, there are elements of the Creative Britain vision that the North West should run with, because they represent areas in which the region, and Manchester in particular, has a head start.

Take the picture of a Britain where in “10 years time the local economies in our biggest cities are driven by creativity”. Arguably, this is something that is already coming to fruition in areas of Manchester. Visit Islington Mill Studios; home to over 50 homespun, but often internationally-focussed creative businesses; or speak to some of the companies in the Northern Quarter and you’ll see what a thriving local creative economy with serious global ambitions (and success) looks and feels like.

With MediaCity:UK firmly moved from drawing board to hard-hat stage, Manchester is already leading the way in another core aspect of the vision, “that the creative industries move from the margins into the mainstream”. No other UK city gets close to such a significant and obvious statement of intent around the centrality of the creative industries to its wider economic prosperity.

So while I would agree wholeheartedly with Lovatt that Creative Britain as policy is lacking, from a North West perspective the opportunities contained in its vision should be looked at seriously.

Andrew Erskine
Senior Associate
Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy
E: Andrew@tfconsultancy.co.uk