West Yorkshire receives 'landmark' £25m cash boost for creative industries
Creative businesses and freelancers in West Yorkshire are in line for major government support to help them innovate, up-skill and attract private investment.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is one of six UK regions to have been awarded £25 million as part of the Government’s Creative Places Growth Fund.
This funding will go towards growing the creative industries across the region - including film and TV, music, video games, fashion, textiles and createch.
The fund was announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan in June, as part of the Industrial Strategy, where the Government shared their intention to invest £150 million in the creative industries of six regions outside of London - Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, West of England, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy revealed on Monday that the fund will be split equally across the regions and will “empower local mayors to support creative professionals, businesses and young people in their communities”.
She said: “Creativity has no postcode - whether it’s a musician in Leeds, a filmmaker in Bradford, or a video games developer in Huddersfield.
“We know that it is not one size fits all. That’s why we are committed to growing our creative industries in every corner of the nation as part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan, and hope that this devolved funding will be just what these regions need to make their creative industries the best that they can be.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “For too long, our creative industries have been disproportionately concentrated in London and the South East, fuelled by talent from the rest of the country.
“Now, this government is working with mayors to reset the dial, giving creatives across the country a fair chance to flourish, without them needing to leave to achieve.
“I’m proud of West Yorkshire for leading the way to this landmark investment, from our multimillion-pound You Can Make It Here programme offering a vital leg-up to freelancers, to our screen and script diversity programme bringing fresh and underrepresented talent into the sector.
“By harnessing this new funding collectively as One Creative North, we will continue to retain, grow and champion the talent that is all around us, building a brighter Britain that works for all.”
The £25 million allocations will be awarded to the six Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) over three years, starting in the 2026 financial year, for them to distribute according to local barriers and opportunities.
It is part of a range of support announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan supporting creative growth across the UK, including providing support for local creative businesses, regional skills initiatives, innovation capacity building programmes, or by providing sector specific support such as TV and film production funds.
Separately, the Government also announced that more than 100 micro, small, and medium-sized creative enterprises across twelve regions, including West Yorkshire, are receiving a share of £8 million in grants through the Create Growth Programme.
The grants, ranging from £20,000 to £140,000, are aimed at helping these high-growth businesses commercialise their ideas and access resources, knowledge and private investment to scale up - turning today’s growing businesses into tomorrow’s success stories.