Creative London: Resisting the Rational

In this week’s session on the growth of the Creative Industries in the UK, Kate Oakley outlined the development of the Creative London Report. Kate was the report’s primary author and was initially engaged to work with the Mayor’s Commission on the Creative Industries. The output of the deliberations of this group eventually became the Creative London Report.

The Mayor Of London, Ken Livingstone, had long been an advocate of urban regeneration through creativity and culture and was a strong supporter of the project.

Kate spent some time discussing the composition and workings of the committee and, in the process, highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of committee structures. Effective and appropriate representation from all stakeholder groups is the key, as is the role and personality of the chair.

The original stated aims of the Commission were to:

1. Ensure continued growth and development of London’s Creative Industries; and
2. Maximise their contribution to London’s economy.

Supporting these aims was data from a range of sources including the London Project undertaken by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. Amongst other things it showed that the creative industries were growing faster than financial services in London.

Armed with this preliminary information, the Commission established these themes:

1. Enabling talent and commercialisation;
2. Creative production chains;
3. Money, management and growth;
4. Property and places.

Kate reported that the Commission became obsessed with the last theme.

Evidence was gathered in a variety of ways including formal, closed interview sessions with invited sector representatives. From Kate’s point of view, the most valuable and powerful technique was the site visit, which provided committee members with first hand experience of the industry issues in situ.

Over a period of 5 months the committee gathered and analysed this information and synthesised the main issues which included:

1. Whether to use a bottom-up or top down support model with existing agencies;
2. Expect and support a ‘slow burn’ model of development and support rather than expecting quick wins;
3. The importance of showcasing;
4. The need for ongoing advice and support;
5. The acknowledgement and celebration of diversity (and with this the realisation of a ‘hidden creative economy’ not captured in formal surveys – eg. Ethnic music);
6. Whether funding is an issue or not, and if it is, should it be seed or growth capital;
7. The importance of property.

The report went through 9 drafts before finally being published in 2004 as a part strategy/part report document style (after starting life labelled a manifesto).
It is currently being implemented in a variety of ways that include:

1. The establishment of 10 Creative Hubs across the city;
2. The Space Agency – portfolio of property available for temporary use (installations, exhibitions, short-term projects);
3. Own It! – intellectual property advice and assistance;
4. Creative Seedfund;
5. Creative Showcasing.

The long terms benefits are some way off this is significant commitment towards the continuing growth of the Creative Industries in one of the world’s great cities and illustrates how important these industries are for continuing prosperity in a knowledge-based economy.

As an interesting aside in Kate’s presentation, she mentioned the influence of cultural historian Peter Hall on the thinking leading up to the commissioning of the project. Commenting on the ‘greatness’ of certain cities throughout history followed by their decline, Hall proposes that only the cities that embrace renewal through creativity and culture can be great more than once. An interesting concept.