West Midlands awarded slice of Government creative industries cash
Creative businesses in West Midlands can now get targeted support to attract investment and create jobs from the Government.
The West Midlands Combined Authority successfully bid for a share of funding from the Create Growth Programme which helps creative businesses access private investment and scale-up advice.
The Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer MP announced the region will get a share of £10.9 million to help businesses across the country.
She said: “From the famous pottery of its past to fashion brands of today, the Midlands are a place where creative industries can thrive. I want to work with businesses across the Midlands to ensure we maximise their potential, unlock growth across the local economy and build a pipeline of creative skills and talent to provide opportunities for our young people.
“I want to grow our creative industries by £50 billion by 2030 and we can only do that if creative businesses across the Midlands are firing on all cylinders, supported with the skills, training and opportunities they need to grow.”
The West Midlands Combined Authority will lead the distribution of funding in each area to best meet the needs of local creative businesses.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The announcement of this programme is great news and I know that our region's industry body Create Central will ensure it builds on, dovetails with and forms part of our support system for local creative businesses. I would very much encourage creative SMEs to seize this opportunity by becoming part of a dynamic cohort of leading creative businesses from right across the West Midlands - all with tremendous growth potential.
"Programme participants will gain useful guidance and resources that will help them to scale their ventures - positioning them well to access finance in the future via Creative UK's groundbreaking £35 million investment fund. The prospect of additional funding from Innovate UK further underlines the level of ambition at the heart of this exciting offer. I cannot wait to see what this unlocks for local people and businesses in the months and years ahead.”
The Culture Secretary is also calling on grassroots music venues, studios, promoters and festivals in the Midlands to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for millions of gig-goers across the UK.
The Supporting Grassroots Music Fund - delivered by Arts Council England - has been expanded to ensure grants reach more parts of the grassroots industry across England, including rehearsal and recording studios, promoters, festivals and venues hosting electronic music. The broader eligibility criteria reflects the wide range of spaces and skills that are needed to help musicians perform and thrive.
