Creative industries: framework agreement

Introduction

The creative industries are those which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent. They also include industries that have the potential to create wealth and jobs through the development, production or exploitation of intellectual property. The sector is made up of 13 distinct industries - advertising, architecture, art and antiques, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software, music, performing arts, publishing, software and computer services and TV and radio. Turnover in the sector was £5.1 billion in 2006 and it supports over 60,000 jobs. The Government Economic Strategy indentified the sector as one where Scotland has a comparative advantage that can be built upon to increase productivity and growth.

General

Creative industries cut across both culture and industry. The 13 industries areinterdependent and contribute to the wider economy. Their support needs are unique.

Ensuring Scotland has a thriving creative industries sector is important economically and in its contribution to Scotland as a nation and promoting Scotland's national identity.

The Government and its delivery agencies believe that support to creative industries is best delivered in partnership, according to skills, expertise and knowledge. However, for the partnership to work effectively, respective roles and responsibilities need to be clear for the partners involved and so those involved in creative industries know where to seek advice and support. This will help the sector prosper and maximise its contribution to Scotland's economic growth. The Government has been working with local government and its delivery agencies to define roles and responsibilities.

Roles and responsibilities of the Scottish Government

The Government wants Scotland to be recognised as one of the world's most creative nations - one that attracts, develops and retains talent, where the arts and the creative industries are supported and celebrated and their economic contribution fully captured. Government action is driven by its overarching purpose which is to focus the Government and public services on creating a more successful country with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. The Government Economic Strategy provides the direction for all of government and the wider public sector to work together to deliver the over-arching purpose. The Government, with its leadership role for creative industries, will develop an action plan for delivering key outcomes: setting out the overall direction; identifying the support needed for creative industries to deliver these outcomes in order to achieve Government's aim of increased growth and productivity; and identifying which bodies will deliver that support to creative industries in line with the roles and responsibilities defined in this document.

The action plan will be overseen by a ministerial led group, with input from the key public sector agencies (including Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise) and local government. The plan will be presented to the Council of Economic Advisers for their consideration. The action plan will be evidence based, identifying what is known about where government intervention is most effective in adding value and areas where no intervention is necessary.

Roles and responsibilities of delivery agencies

The Scottish Government holds the leadership role for creative industries and the future of success of creative industries will be dependent on a Team Scotland approach. Organisations including Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, local government, skills agencies, further and higher education and regulators, must work with the Scottish Government and the creative industries community - its talent, business organisations, trade bodies, commissioners and financiers - to ensure a thriving creative industries sector in Scotland. Organisations will have distinct complementary roles. In essence:

• Creative Scotland's role will be to provide research, intelligence and advocacy across the 13 creative industries. It will lead co-ordination activity in developing the creative industry sector. It will inherit the functions, responsibilities and resources of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council and develop them using its sector specific knowledge, skills and experience
• the Enterprise agencies' role will be to identify and develop growth sectors, sub-sectors and businesses and to maximise the economic potential of businesses within creative industries
• local authorities will support creative industries in their area and are responsible for the governance of the business gateway
• the Business Gateway's role will be to provide generic business advice and signpost to other sources of specialised support and advice
• no organisation can fulfil its role in isolation and will be required, as part of its remit, to work closely with others to ensure they learn from each other's expertise and knowledge so there is an effective interface, a genuine joined up approach and the right links are made to make sure that Scotland gets the best out of its creative sector

Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland will be Scotland's national development body for the arts and cultUre,embracing the 13 creative industries.

Creative Scotland will inherit the functions, responsibilities and resources of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council and develop them using its sector specific knowledge, skills and experience.

In supporting the creative industries, Creative Scotland's role will be to provide research, intelligence, support and advocacy across the 13 creative industries; and to lead co-ordination activity in developing the creative industry sector.

As a new single body, Creative Scotland will seek to ensure that creativity, talent and excellence of Scotland's individuals and enterprises are encouraged and supported to play their full role in the cultural, social and economic success of Scotland at home and internationally. It will:

• promote an understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts and culture
• identify, support and develop talent and excellence in the arts and culture
• seek to realise all the benefits of the arts and culture
• work with partners to support the creative industries

Enterprise agencies (Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise)

Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise is the economic development agency for lowland Scotland. Its main focus is to contribute to increasing Scotland's productivity through:

• enterprise - responsive and focused support helping growth industries and companies to reach their potential
• innovation - stimulate innovation to support business growth including exploiting new products, processes and technologies
• investment - helping to create the right conditions for growth industries and companies to have access to property, markets and finance

Scottish Enterprise will support economic development across all of the 13 creative industries which make up the sector, identifying and developing growth sectors, subsectors and businesses. Its focus will be on those businesses with the potential to grow the economy and where Scottish Enterprise support is required.

Through its account management model, it supports companies with growth potential, mainly, but not exclusively, in priority industry areas, to address barriers to growth. It ensures that companies can access Scottish Enterprise services, networks, market research and information. It can help with innovation, internationalisation, investments and efficiency. Scottish Enterprise will ensure it supports growth potential companies across the creative industry sector and will ensure Scottish Development International promotes Scottish creative industries across the world.

Through its industry initiatives assistance, within the context of the Scottish Government's Economic Strategy, Scottish Enterprise will support the contribution of the 13 creative industries to those other sectors. For example, those involved in creative industries, such as architecture, design and software and computer services, contribute to the success of many other industries and as such already receive support from Scottish Enterprise initiatives.

With the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise will look at which areas of the 13 creative industries offer the greatest potential for economic growth and to see what else can be done to grow those sectors.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Highlands and Islands Enterprise is the economic and community development agency for the Highlands and Islands.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise will support economic development across all of the 13 creative industries which make up the sector, identifying and developing growth sectors, sub-sectors and businesses. Its focus will be on those businesses with the potential to grow the economy and where Highlands and Islands Enterprise support is required.

Through its account management model, it supports companies with growth potential, mainly, but not exclusively, in priority industry areas, to address barriers to growth. It ensures that companies can access Highlands and Islands services, networks, market research and information. It can help with innovation, internationalisation, investments and efficiency. Highlands and Islands will ensure it supports growth potential companies across the creative industry sector. Through its internationalisation strategy, it will help promote Scottish creative industries across the world.

Through its industry initiatives assistance, within the context of the Scottish Government's Economic Strategy, Highlands and Islands Enterprise will support the contribution of the 13 creative industries to other sectors. For example, those involved in creative industries, such as architecture, design and software and computer services, contribute to the success of many other industries and already receive support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise initiatives.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise will create the conditions for business growth for creative industries through networking and effective distribution. It supports partnerships and networks at a local, national and international level to allow businesses to grow and compete. It recognises the collaborative nature of creative industries with micro-businesses coming together on a project basis. Its high growth agenda and account management systems will recognise this structure and it will look at how to promote growth through increasing the size of the networks it supports and increasing new markets and products. It will provide specialised advice to creative industries.

The approach and behaviours adopted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise might have application elsewhere, recognising, of course, the implication of scale.

Local authorities' role and the role of the Business Gateway

Local authorities, are one of the biggest investors in Scotland's Creative Sector, and have the primary role in supporting the Creative and Cultural sector at a local level. This could include the following distinct roles:

• development of cultural strategies to support programme development and shape future investment
• provision of cultural infrastructure to support local creative activity including performance and rehearsal space, workshops, and galleries
• support for Creative Industries sector based initiatives including group marketing, networking, local awards etc
• support for venues, galleries and theatres
• support for screen location services achieving local economic impact during filming, and the wider impact through the promotion of local areas internationally and through tourism
• support for cultural festivals to support local creative activity and enhance tourism
• promotion of artists and creativity as part of local area tourism marketing
• enhancing and developing "cultural quarters" as part of area based regeneration activity
• support for children and young people through pathways of attainment and achievement into training and employment opportunities within the creative sector
• promotion of the creative industries sector as an area of ongoing growth and development and therefore an area within which employment opportunities continue to develop, albeit within current economic constraints

Local authorities will aim to work in partnership with Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and HIE to support the creative sector in their local area to grow and deliver its potential. This could potentially be co-ordinated through local Community Planning Partnerships, and the creation of a local cultural strategy.

The Business Gateway, now under the governance of local authorities, provides practical help, advice and support for new and established businesses in areas such as start-up; finance and grants; taxes; returns and payroll; employment; health; safety and premises; environment and efficiency; exploiting ideas; IT and e-commerce; sales and marketing; regulation; licences and contacts; international trade and business growth. It also operates a series of start-up courses, business workshops and events.

For individuals and small firms within the creative industries, Business Gateway will act as the first point of contact. It will offer a one-stop service for essential business advice and signposting to other sources of advice where appropriate. Sector wide activity with groups of creative companies and individuals may be supported by Business Gateway, local authorities or Scottish Enterprise and HIE.

The Business Gateway will ensure its staff are alert to the needs of entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Where the required support needs are too specialised for the Business Gateway, it will ensure that it signposts those seeking advice to the relevant agency.

Currently, the Business Gateway only operates in the Scottish Enterprise area but its services are to be extended to cover the whole of Scotland. Highlands and Islands Enterprise will fulfil the role until full Scottish coverage is ava~lable.

Other sources of support

There are many other organisations who provide support to creative industries and it will be important that those in the creative industries are aware of those sources. Signposting to relevant information will be an important role for the Business Gateway. For example, those involved in creative industries will want to know:

• who can support them in developing their skills - such as Skills Development Scotland and the relevant sector skills councils
• who is their relevant trade body, union or representative organisation;
• what relevant networks exist and how to join
• how to reach specialised support and advice

Creative Scotland, the enterprise agencies and local authorities will want to consider how best to ensure that there is accurate information about relevant sources of support.

Next steps

This core script is a high level document looking at articulating roles and responsibilities. Partners involved will take forward work to establish the operational implications of implementing the agreement.

Creative Industries Roles and Responsibilities Document.pdf

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