Creative businesses and freelancers across West Yorkshire are set to benefit from significant Government backing aimed at helping them innovate, develop new skills, and attract private investment.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has been named as one of just six UK regions with recognised strengths in the creative industries to receive £25 million through the Government’s Creative Places Growth Fund. The investment will build on the region’s already thriving creative economy, spanning film and TV, music, video games, fashion, textiles, and createch. West Yorkshire is home to pioneering hubs such as Wakefield’s Production Park, a state-of-the-art studio complex, and Game Republic Ltd, which runs two of the North’s leading games industry networks.
The fund was first outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Plan in June as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which pledged £150 million to boost creative industries across six regions outside London: Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, West of England, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire.
Today, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed that the funding will be divided equally among the regions to fuel growth, innovation, and investment. Local mayors will be empowered to support creative professionals, businesses, and young people by improving access to finance, mentoring, networking, and skills programmes, helping them to build connections with investors and strengthen their creative futures.
Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary said:
“Creativity has no postcode – whether it’s a musician in Leeds, a filmmaker in Bradford, or a video games developer in Huddersfield.
“We know that it is not one size fits all. That’s why we are committed to growing our creative industries in every corner of the nation as part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan, and hope that this devolved funding will be just what these regions need to make their creative industries the best that they can be.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire said:
“For too long, our creative industries have been disproportionately concentrated in London and the South East, fuelled by talent from the rest of the country. Now, this government is working with mayors to reset the dial, giving creatives across the country a fair chance to flourish, without them needing to leave to achieve.
“I’m proud of West Yorkshire for leading the way to this landmark investment, from our multimillion-pound You Can Make It Here programme offering a vital leg-up to freelancers, to our screen and script diversity programme bringing fresh and underrepresented talent into the sector.
“By harnessing this new funding collectively as One Creative North, we will continue to retain, grow and champion the talent that is all around us, building a brighter Britain that works for all.”
This marks a new approach to supporting the UK’s creative industries, with funding devolved directly to Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) identified as having high growth potential. Each of the six MSAs will receive £25 million over three years, starting in the 2026 financial year, to invest in ways that address local challenges and unlock opportunities.
The scheme forms part of the wider Creative Industries Sector Plan, which sets out a broad package of support to drive growth nationwide. This includes tailored business support for creative enterprises, regional skills initiatives, programmes to build innovation capacity, and sector-specific measures such as dedicated TV and film production funds.
In addition, the Government has confirmed that more than 100 micro, small, and medium-sized creative enterprises across twelve regions, including West Yorkshire, will share £8 million in grants through the Create Growth Programme. The grants, valued between £20,000 and £140,000, are designed to help high-growth businesses commercialise new ideas, access expertise and resources, and attract private investment – supporting them to scale up and transform into the creative success stories of the future.
The grants will support companies such as Translating Nature, an art and design studio in Margate, and King Bee, a creative animation studio in Hertfordshire, enabling them to develop innovative products, attract private investment, and benefit from one-to-one mentoring with industry experts.
Businesses across a wide range of creative sectors – including gaming, music, and marketing – are set to benefit. They are based in regions including Greater Manchester; Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire; North East England; West of England; Devon and Cornwall; South East; Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Greater Lincolnshire; Nottingham and Nottinghamshire; Hull and East Yorkshire; West Midlands; West Yorkshire; and Hertfordshire.
