Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that support from her Department for northern regions does not inadvertently disincentivise investment and employment in London.

The department has adopted a new approach to place targeting across DCMS programmes that aim to improve social and community outcomes. Evidence points clearly to economic and social outcomes being systematically worse in places where both deprivation and community need is highest; places experiencing ‘double disadvantage.’ The department has implemented a focus on targeting these ‘double disadvantage’ places – to ensure that our funding is concentrated in the communities where we can make the biggest difference. This approach does not limit investment to Northern Regions, but focuses DCMS investment designed to build community cohesion and enhance opportunity in those places that need it most, including places in the South and Midlands. This approach to place targeting will benefit the UK as a whole, generating broad based economic growth across England to create a more balanced national economy, supporting stability and growth in London and across the rest of the UK.

DCMS applies this approach to relevant programmes aimed at improving social, community and wellbeing outcomes across all of our sectors – covering arts, culture and heritage, sport, civil society and youth. This approach will not be applied to programmes aimed primarily at driving economic growth or programmes that clearly have a distinct objective.

For media and journalism, as part of the Local Media Action Plan to support local journalism across the country, the department has launched a Local News Fund, to help local media outlets adapt to commercial and technological changes and revive a local news presence in areas where it has retreated. While final decisions on awards will take into consideration diversity in award allocation, including geographical distribution, those decisions are ultimately being guided by a Steering Board of external industry experts, to ensure a degree of independence in government decisions about funding of the media.

For the creative industries, London is identified as a priority place in the Creative Industries Sector Plan. Place-based policies in the creative industries aim to address regional market failures and support our high-growth potential creative clusters.