The UK Creative Industries Strategy (2025) and the East of England

Hot on the heels of the UK Industrial Strategy the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published it’s Creative Industries Sector Plan.

In an era of global transformation, creativity is more than just cultural capital. The Government's plan charts a ten-year roadmap to turn creative power into national prosperity. With ambitions to grow annual investment from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035. At its core lies a bold promise: that no region should be left behind.

The creative industries are one of a few sectors where the UK has a global competitive advantage. In this sense the UK is a creative powerhouse. The sector contributes a staggering £124 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and support 2.4 million jobs, growing at 1.5 times the rate of the rest of the economy. From fashion to film, gaming to architecture, this is a sector that thrives on innovation and exports—making the UK the third-largest exporter of creative services worldwide.

The sector’s value lies not only in output but in its interconnectedness. The rise of createch—where creativity fuses with technology like AI, immersive media, and virtual production—promises to deliver £18 billion GVA and 160,000 new jobs over the next decade.

Challenges to Creative Growth

Yet despite its successes, the creative industries face formidable barriers:

• Access to finance remains uneven, particularly for SMEs and women-led businesses.

• Innovation costs are high, and many firms lack access to cutting-edge R&D facilities.

• A persistent skills gap—especially in technical roles—and a lack of diversity are limiting growth.

• Global competition is intensifying, and market access issues persist in some emerging economies.

• Most crucially, regional disparities continue, with investment clustered in London and the South East.

Creative East

The East of England is not just a promising player—it’s a potential creative super-region. With vibrant urban centres like Norwich, Cambridge, Ipswich, and Colchester, plus a rich mix of coastal, rural, and heritage environments, the region is brimming with assets, including:

• Video games & createch: Cambridge leads with world-class studios and AI-driven innovation.

• Publishing & literature: Norwich, a UNESCO City of Literature, hosts a thriving literary scene.

• Design, fashion & crafts: A maker economy flourishes across Norfolk and Suffolk.

• Performing arts: From Ipswich’s DanceEast to grassroots festivals, culture runs deep.

• Advertising & digital media: Growing hubs in Chelmsford, Colchester and Bedford offer London adjacency with lower costs.

TV & Film is a Rising Regional Force

The UK’s TV and film sector generates over £4.8 billion in annual inward investment and employs more than 100,000 people. While London and the South East remain dominant, the East of England is emerging as a production hotspot—and it's anchored by a world-renowned asset: Elstree Studios.

Located in Hertsmere, Elstree Studios—alongside Sky Studios Elstree and BBC Elstree Centre—forms a powerful production corridor. Home to global franchises from Star Wars to The Crown, the Elstree cluster provides the East with both capacity and credibility.

The region also offers:

• Diverse filming locations: From coastal Suffolk to historic Norwich.

• Education pipelines: Norwich University of the Arts and Anglia Ruskin University feed talent into film and media.

• Community production ecosystems: From Cambridge Film Trust to BBC Voices in Norfolk.

With the government’s £75 million Screen Growth Fund, new tax reliefs for indie productions, and investment in CoSTAR innovation labs for virtual production, the East of England has both the infrastructure and policy tailwinds to thrive.

Regional Priorities: From Strategy to Action

The sector plan commits to investment, innovation, and skills development across the UK. For the East of England, this means:

• Studio expansion: Building on Elstree’s success with new facilities in Essex, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire.

• Createch leadership: Positioning Cambridge as a global hub for immersive content and AI-enhanced creativity.

• Workforce development: Rolling out creative HTQs, apprenticeships, and skills bootcamps.

• Internationalisation: Supporting local firms through UK Export Finance and trade missions.

• Cluster support: Leveraging the £150 million Creative Places Growth Fund to grow creative corridors and clusters.

With a combination of established studios, world-class universities, diverse cultural scenes, and strategic proximity to London, the East of England is well placed to deliver on the UK’s creative ambition. The next decade will reward boldness. For the East, that means backing creative talent, unlocking investment, building infrastructure—and telling its own compelling story to the world.

Are you a creative in the East of England? Will the Government’s plan work for your business? What is missing within the region to supercharge growth in the creative industries? Get in touch with the Eastern Powerhouse and let us know.