The creative industries have quietly outpaced the rest of the UK economy in recent years, growing more than four times faster than the wider economy in 2024 and contributing £145.8 billion in gross value added. Yet this growth has been uneven, both across the sector’s subsectors and geographically, with economic value remaining heavily concentrated in London and the South East.

Despite this strength, creative businesses continue to face real obstacles to growth. Business rates remain unstable and often disconnected from a business’s actual performance, while the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence technology poses a growing risk to intellectual property, particularly for smaller businesses and individual creators. At the same time, a shrinking and increasingly inaccessible talent pipeline threatens the industry’s long-term sustainability.

Prosper UK sat down with representatives from the creative industries in Manchester on 29 June 2026 to hear from those most affected by these challenges and explore potential solutions. Participants included representatives across the sports, film and TV, textiles, audio, music, jewellery and wider creative sectors, alongside creative workspace providers, business support organisations, educational institutions and local government.

The report argues that a clearer, more uniform approach to business rates would reduce administrative confusion, while a revitalised talent pipeline, supported by an evolving education system and stronger skills development, could open a clearer path for those wanting to enter creative sectors. Greater protection from the risks of AI would help secure the industry’s future and allow creative organisations to thrive.