CREATIVITY is proving a boost for business in Leamington.
A national report has identified the importance of the town’s creative industry on the UK’s economy.
The Geography of Creativity in the UK report has found Leamington was home to more than 1,500 creative business, employing over 7,000 people – making the town one of 47 so-called creative clusters in the UK.
The report, which was carried out by innovation charity Nesta, in partnership with Creative England, used latest data to map creative industries in the UK to demonstrate the economic significance of the creative industries across the country, and how to help them strengthen further.
Around 50 per cent of the creative businesses in the Leamington are software and digital organisations, with the other half made up primarily of design, music, performing arts and advertising business, along with some TV, radio and architecture companies.
The report identified creative companies were continuing to grow more rapidly than most other sectors nationally, with design, software and advertising sectors particularly strong nationally.
The growth is mainly due to an increase in small start-ups employing an average of three people.
In the recent Culture White Paper, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport identified that the creative industries contribute £81.4 billion to the economy. The sector employs 1.9 million people and is growing twice as fast as the UK economy as a whole.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has identified the creative industry as major driver of the regional economy.
Sarah Windrum, a member of the CWLEP board, said: “The growth of the creative industries in Leamington has a substantial economic benefit to the whole Coventry and Warwickshire region.
“CWLEP is working with the cluster and the wider business community to encourage the sharing of best practice across all sectors to create a culture of innovation.
“This will benefit us all as creativity is one of the key drivers for economic growth and productivity.”
