Labour accuses Government of ‘damaging the foundations’ of UK’s creative industries

Speaking at the CIN launch last night, Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis said, ‘This Conservative-led Government has so far failed to provide the strategic leadership which is urgently required and in education and arts they are implementing policies which are damaging the foundations of our creative success.’

Lewis called for ‘active, intelligent’ policies, ‘robust and reliable economic data’, access to business acument and skills and ‘arts investment and education reform which recognises the importance of creativity to the future of our economy and society and a coherent Intellectual Property framework.’

Labour’s new CIN will be chaired by Andrew McGuinness, chair of the Advertising Association and founding partner of ad agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay and will feature businesses, trade bodies, arts organisations and unions.

Patrick McKenna, chief executive of investment advisory group Ingenious, is to lead a report on investment and business skills in the creative sector.

The Coalition Government’s Creative Industries Council, which includes the Design Council and the Sorrell Foundation, met in July to discuss issues to put to Government.

The Government is also set to publish its Innovation Strategy, with consultation understood to be open until this month and the strategy due to be published in November.