The nation’s attention may be fixed on pop star Taylor Swift’s reported nuptials at Madison Square Garden, but for those of us watching the real ledger, the story is elsewhere. While Swift’s private life generates headlines, the UK creative economy continues to bolster household incomes and export earnings, particularly in the regions hardest hit by industrial decline.
Figures released this morning from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport show that the creative industries contributed £115.9 billion to the UK economy last year, a 9% increase on the previous year. This growth has been fuelled by a surge in British film and television production, with studios from Manchester to Glasgow reporting near-capacity bookings. The sector now employs over 2.3 million people, with wages in film and TV production averaging £42,000 a year, considerably above the national median.
Yet this national success story masks a troubling divide. According to the Creative Industries Federation, 80% of creative jobs are concentrated in London and the South East. In the North West, where I grew up watching textile mills close, only 4% of jobs are in creative fields. The government’s own levelling up agenda has promised to spread these opportunities, but the latest data shows that investment in regional creative hubs has actually fallen in real terms since 2019.
“When we hear about Taylor Swift’s wedding, it feels like another world,” says Maria Thompson, a freelance set dresser from Salford who recently worked on a BBC drama filmed in Manchester. “The work is there, but it’s precarious. I’ve got three months of steady work, then nothing. Meanwhile, rents in the city centre have risen 18% in two years. The industry is booming, but my pay packet doesn’t reflect it.”
Her experience is not unique. The BECTU union reports that freelance workers in TV and film have seen their day rates stagnate since 2016, even as production budgets have swelled. The union has called for a sector-wide minimum wage of £15 an hour, arguing that the creative economy cannot thrive on the backs of insecure workers.
The government has pointed to its Creative Industries Sector Vision, published last year, which promised to create 30,000 new creative apprenticeships and invest £50 million in regional clusters. But critics say these pledges have not been backed by cash. The Institute for Public Policy Research calculates that the Treasury has spent just 12% of the promised funds.
For every headline about a celebrity wedding, there are thousands of workers in the creative sector wondering if they can afford to stay in their trade. The UK’s reputation as a global leader in music, film and design is not in doubt. But if we want that reputation to hold, we must ensure that the rewards of this success are shared more equally. Otherwise, the only story in town will be the one about the superstar who flew in and flew out again.
As the glitter fades from Madison Square Garden, the real work begins: building a creative economy that works for everyone, not just the lucky few at the top.
