The proposals, which mark the first major milestone of the Government’s Creative Economy Programme, have been drawn up by a team of experts tasked with exploring new ways to help the UK’s creative industries prosper. Now the Government wants to know what people working in those industries, including fashion, music, computer games and advertising, think about their ideas.

Following consultation with the industry, the experts identified themes such as business skills, education and high city centre rents, which create barriers that prevent small and medium sized businesses growing. They have produced recommendations for breaking down these barriers including:

• a complete re-assessment of business education in the creative sector and cash incentives for investment in management development;
• a network of UK Creative Ambassadors to promote our small and medium sized companies abroad;
• a creative business "health check" service to ensure businesses are getting quality, tailored business advice;
• "Creativity Towers" - new models for establishing concentrations of specialist creative workspace and activity space in new developments - the idea being to provide flexible, affordable homes for creative businesses; and
• a creative industries ‘dating agency’ to broker and co-ordinate new relationships and partnerships.

The full reports and recommendations are now available on the Creative Economy Programme website  and are published for industry consultation. Anyone with an interest in the UK’s creative industries is invited to have their say and tell the Government what they think of the working groups’ recommendations.

Creative Industries Minister, Shaun Woodward, said:

"Our creativity and talent are respected and envied the world over. And our creative industries are a major success story. But we need to master the alchemy of turning our brilliant ideas into hard, global business success if we're going to stay ahead of the game.

"I'd like to thank the working groups for their recommendations. This is the first major milestone of the Creative Economy Programme - a programme which aims to make the UK the world's creative hub. These experts have given us their thoughts on how we can improve the way our creative industries work together and become even more successful. Now we want the views of everyone working in the industries and beyond."

The creative industries account for more than eight per cent of GDP, more than four per cent of our export income and provide jobs for two million people. Globally, the market value of the world’s creative industries was estimated at $1.3 trillion in 2005.

The Creative Economy Programme has drawn views from public bodies and representatives from across the industries through a timetable of industry summits, breakfast seminars and group debates. The programme aims to deliver real outcomes for the UK’s creative sectors.

The Government will now consider the recommendations, along with industry consultation and contributions from other stakeholders and work towards a policy paper for the UK’s Creative Economy. 

Notes to editors

1. The working papers from the Creative Economy working groups are available online at www.cep.culture.gov.uk. People working within the creative industries are now invited to comment on the recommendations. The consultation ends 20 September 2006.

2. The simplest way to send a response is to reply to the blog posting online. If the blog entry contains an attachment, the attachment should be emailed to cepconsultation@culture.gsi.gov.uk.

3. Responses can also be e-mailed to cepconsultation@culture.gsi.gov.uk.  Please note that the content of all e-mail responses will be placed online unless the sender specifically requests for them not to be disclosed. 

4. Responses can also be sent by post, please send them to Creative Economy Programme responses, Alastair Findlay, Department For Culture, Media and Sport, London, SW1Y 5DH.

5. The next stage of the CEP is to develop a Government Policy Paper for consultation.  Along with the Department for Trade and Industry, our key partner in delivering the Programme, we will consider working group recommendations, along with industry consultation and contributions from other stakeholders, in working towards a policy paper for the UK’s Creative Economy.  This will;

• raise awareness and understanding of the Creative Industries;
• set out a vision for the Creative Industries which can be shared at a national, regional and local level and across the full range of stakeholders;
• produce policy ideas for improving the productivity of the Creative Industries and making them fit for purpose; and
• produce some brilliant and innovative projects in partnership between organisations.

The new policy will be introduced as a government consultation paper, providing a further stage for formal written contributions to the Programme.