Decision details

Proposed decision.

To enter into a funding agreement with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and to be the accountable body for the disbursement and spend of a regional Create Growth Fund. The grant will be £1.275million over three financial years from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The decision is subject to KCC being successful with the grant application to DCMS.

Background:

DCMS launched the £17.51m Create Growth Programme in June 2022 to invite local area partnerships to bid for funds to a maximum of £1.275m over three years 2022 to 2025 to deliver targeted business support to high-growth potential creative businesses.

Following a successful expression of interest, KCC Culture and Creative Economy Service has formed a consortium to complete a bid to the Create Growth Fund by the deadline of 25 August 2022. If successful, we will be notified in the third week of September and will need to start recruitment and procurement immediately in order to meet the DCMS spending deadline for the programme.

Options:

The Create Growth Programme is a national initiative which KCC will manage on behalf of the South East Creative Economy Network. There is no match funding requirement and the Programme will bring new money into KCC to deliver creative industry growth which is central to our core work programme. Positioning KCC as accountable body is the strongest option in terms of our profile with the sector and with regional and national partners and will lead to the ongoing growth of the Kent economy through business development and inward investment.

How the proposed decision supports Framing Kent’s Future 2022-2026:

Back SMEs and entrepreneurs to start-up, grow - the Create Growth Programme will enable us to develop the legacy of South East Creatives business support programme that supported over 400 creative business. The programme will also support creative freelancers to start up and grow businesses and that they attract the appropriate investment.

Work with partners to develop a better co-ordinated approach to economic development across the county -We will align a refreshed cultural strategy with the Economic Strategy and use the Create Growth Programme to deliver a coordinated approach to the productivity and growth of the creative economy.    

As Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, I agree, subject to the bid to DCMS being successful, that KCC enters into a grant agreement with DCMS and takes on the lead role of accountable body for the management and delivery of the regional South-East Create Growth Programme 2022 to 2025.