It was interesting to read a recent article in The Guardian which claims that despite being starved of arts and culture funding, the North West continues to thrive as a creative powerhouse.
According to the article, London receives three times as much funding as the North West which equates to half of BBC funding and 40% of Arts Council cash. Yet Greater Manchester is now the second largest hub for creative and digital content across Europe, second only to London.
Recent analysis of ‘sub-regional economy’ by Manchester Monitor showed that the creative industries could bring an estimated 23,000 new jobs to the Manchester region over the next decade.
However, according to analysis of regional spending for IPPR’s report ‘The March of the Modern Makers’ it would seem that London remains the recipient of the majority of the funding despite the BBC’s move to Manchester.
While it’s great to see that Manchester’s creative businesses are thriving even without these funds, it’s a real shame that the North West and other parts of the UK that are showing signs of creative promise aren’t been encouraged to grow and develop with the help of much needed funding.
As a Manchester-based PR company we are proud of the amount of creative industries that are doing so well in our region. Let’s hope that those responsible for these pots of funding look a little further afield when it comes to splashing the cash in the future to help nurture talent regardless of where it is based to help keep the region’s creativity thriving.
