Industry leaders have welcomed the Government’s support for North after Labour held its party conference in Liverpool for the fourth year running.
Among the policy announcements at the five-day event were the creation of a Creative Industries Sector Plan backed by a £150m fund – of which two thirds will go to the Northern regions.
After the conference wrapped up, Prolific North shared our roundup of things we’ve learned and what it will mean for our creative, digital and tech sectors.
We’ve also spoken with leaders from those sectors to hear what they took away from the announcement – with the government’s backing of the North and creative and digital industries proving popular. Here’s what they had to say:
Rick Guttridge, managing director at Smoking Gun
“Any considerable investment in the region’s creative sector is to be welcomed and we hope helps spread ripples of optimism and further investment. Until details of the grants are released its hard to know the impact for each recipient but on the whole it’s a welcome shot in the arm none the less.
“We’re huge proponents of allyship so the women’s tech taskforce is truly welcomed and builds on an impressive existing raft of female tech titans already at large in the north.
“It’s no news to us that ‘creativity has no postcode’ but great to see Wigan’s Nandy shout it louder for those at the back. We’ve long revelled in taking work from major brands off London agencies when they want a national view, not just the Soho bubble.”
Rob Shaw, CEO at HUB
“It’s great to see that Prolific North have distilled some of the key topics of the Labour conference specifically covering the impact their policies may have on the creative and marketing industries beyond the major headlines we have all seen in the mainstream media.
“For me the biggest takeaway from the conference was the bias to the North in terms of investment which is a refreshing and much needed change. The recent analysis Prolific North did into the growth of digital agencies in July when they announced the Top 50 Digital agencies clearly showed that while the Northern agencies were growing their profits were clearly impacted demonstrating that the North still needs support during challenging economic conditions.
“I hope the announced £150m Creative Industries Sector Plan and the independence to invest given to the Northern Mayors will help smaller agencies find security and growth in the future. Those are the agencies that have the potential to grow and create new job opportunities.”
Denise Harris, Chief Creative Officer, Sum Vivas Ltd
“At Sum Vivas, we welcome Labour’s commitment to making the North a powerhouse for digital innovation. For me, the message coming out of the conference is clear: the North has the talent and the ambition; what we need now is the infrastructure and investment to match it.
“The emphasis on digital skills and training is particularly important. Innovation isn’t the problem, adoption is. Unless businesses and individuals feel confident using AI and digital tools, the UK risks building world-class tech that no one knows how to implement.”
Ben Davies, Group Marketing Director at Praetura Ventures
“The North of the UK has the most untapped potential for economic growth in the tech and creative sectors. Despite economic headwinds, founders and scale ups in this region have consistently demonstrated their ability to grow world-class companies through their resilience and talent.
“As a Northern-focused investor, it’s something that Praetura (soon-to-be PXN Group) have doubled down on. It’s clear from the party conference that Labour leadership sees this potential and wants to support it. The North’s ecosystem has plenty to be optimistic about.”
