Creative Industries Sector Plan: Government to appoint freelance champion – Arts

DCMS will appoint a creative freelance champion, to advocate for the sector’s freelancers it has been announced.

As part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published alongside the government’s Industrial Strategy today (23 June), the postholder will work across government departments and be a member of the Creative Industries Council.

The move follows longstanding calls for such a figure to support freelancers amid concerns about unsustainably low levels of pay and poor working conditions.

Terms of reference will be developed with industry and the freelance champion will be appointed later this year.

Doubling business investment

More broadly, the Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out the aim of nearly doubling business investment in the sector by 2035 – from £17bn to £31bn in a bid to “cement the UK’s position as a global creative superpower”.

As part of a total of £380m in funding , £30m will go towards a Music Growth Package designed to help emerging artists break through at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, a new £9m Creative Careers Service will help raise awareness of opportunities and provide pathways into the sector for young people.

There will also be a £10m investment in the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to support 2,000 new trainees and apprentices over the next decade.

And at least £50m will go towards a new wave of Creative Industries Clusters across the UK to accelerate research and development.

Alongside this, £25m will be invested in five new innovative CoSTAR research and development labs run by UKRI to develop cutting-edge technologies like those used in music and theatre productions.

Devolved funding

Meanwhile, a new £150m Creative Places Growth Fund will be devolved to six Mayoral Strategic Authorities: West Midlands, West of England, West Yorkshire, the North East, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester.

In addition, there will be a £75m Screen Growth Package supporting UK content development and international investment, and showcasing the best of UK and international film. This includes an enlarged UK Global Screen Fund and scaled-up BFI Film Academy to support 16–25 year olds from underrepresented backgrounds to enter the film industry.

And a Video Games Growth Package worth £30m will back the next generation of start-up games studios and developers. Government says this will drive inward investment in the sector through expansion of the UK Games Fund (UKGF) as well as new support for the London Games Festival.

Boosting growth

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Our creative industries are powerful economic drivers in this country. By placing them at the heart of our Industrial Strategy this sector plan, backed by £380m of investment, will boost regional growth, stimulate private investment and create thousands more high-quality jobs.

“This sector plan will help nearly double business investment to £31bn by 2035, supporting our mission to raise living standards everywhere as part of our Plan for Change, ensuring the UK remains the world’s creative powerhouse.”

Sir Peter Bazalgette, co-chair of the Creative Industries Council, said: “This ambitious plan for growth represents a coming of age for the creative sector. Crucially the plans for R&D funding and Access to Finance for SMEs are exciting step changes.

Caroline Norbury, chief executive of Creative UK, said: “The Sector Plan signals that the creative industries are central to the UK’s growth story. From freelancers to scale-ups, this is a step towards the joined-up support our sector needs – and Creative UK stands ready to work with government and industry partners to turn ambition into action.

“As we move into delivery mode, it’s essential that all parts of the sector – from cultural organisations to creative tech firms – are empowered to grow, invest and contribute fully to the UK’s economic future.”