Creative Industries: North-east

Opened the debate

The MP highlighted the significant contribution of the creative industries to Sunderland and the wider north-east, noting a combined gross value added of £1.5 billion for the sector. Despite a 43% increase in economic value over the past decade, she pointed out that cuts to council budgets had negatively impacted these sectors. The MP emphasized the importance of initiatives such as Sunderland Culture and Pallion Engineering's proposed production space at Pallion shipyard, which are vital for job creation and local economic growth. She also mentioned a 10th-anniversary celebration of Sunderland Culture, which has attracted over 3 million visitors and hosted nearly 40,000 school visits.

Government Response

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Robertson. I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Sunderland Central (Julie Elliott) for securing a really important debate. The creative industries contribute almost £116 billion to the country's economy and employ over 2 million people; in the north-east, they contribute £1.1 billion and employ about 45,000 people. We are committed to supporting these businesses through the pandemic and helping them with future growth. The Government are developing a creative sector vision and will set out our 2030 ambitions to drive even more growth and employment in those world-renowned creative industries. £50 million of investment from our Department, including the Create Growth programme, UK games fund and the UK global screen fund, is being provided to drive growth across the country. The north-east will receive £1.28 million in grant funding through the Create Growth programme, allowing businesses access to a further £7 million investment fund and support to build local investor networks. This includes initiatives such as the water studios project and e-sports performance campus by British Esports. Skills development is crucial; we are working closely with the Department for Education to enhance technical education pathways, develop new qualifications like creative T-levels and higher technical qualifications from 2023 onwards, and relaunch the Creative Careers programme targeting young people from under-represented backgrounds. Apprenticeships also play a vital role in upskilling and retraining. The BBC has invested £25 million in the north-east to support job creation and regional independent programmes. We are developing legislative reforms to support public service broadcasters and encouraging businesses to apply for opportunities like the CoSTAR programme for virtual production technology. Creative industries have faced challenges during the pandemic, but we supported them through schemes such as the coronavirus job retention scheme and self-employment income support scheme. The Arts Council has also provided long-term investment in Sunderland Central, including annual funding of £230,000 to Southpaw Dance Company. The north-east is a hub of activity with initiatives like Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen's £16.5 million programme for the recovery of creative and visitor sectors. We will continue to support growth in this sector through extensive government programmes.