I would be lying if I said I shed a tear listening to the news that speed cameras are to be axed in Oxfordshire due to government spending cuts. The little yellow boxes have never been my friend. However, Oxford Councillor Keith Mitchell, who was dragged on to the Today programme to explain why the government is set to slash its funding for road safety, said something that really resonated. He said that they had to make choices, and that this was just the very beginning of what is going to be a bloody round of choices.
We have had a really excellent run, here in the North West, with strong support from government and the public sector for the digital and creative sector over the last half a decade. The question for us now is; can that last as all the public bodies go for a scorched earth policy – not necessarily because they want to, but because they pretty much have to.
We know that a relatively small amount of investment into creative companies and their product can yield excellent returns for the companies involved and for the economy as a whole. I think one of the things we have been able to do at Vision+Media is help people take risks and then watch them pay off.
Government has said that Digital and Creative is one of its top hopes for the revival of growth in the economy. But, will they put their money where their mouth is?
The CBI is calling on the Government to deliver a clear strategy to ensure the UK’s creative industries can flourish and help lead the economic recovery. Creating growth: A blueprint for the creative industries is a new report launched today by CBI, who believe that the UK’s creative sector, which is the biggest in Europe, can play a crucial role in rebalancing the economy and delivering high growth.
