Culture lies at the heart of successful economies and communities. Places need to preserve and enhance an environment where talented and enterprising people thrive and where they continue to want to live, work and play. This depends on harnessing the energy and abilities of people, ultimately leading to improvements to the productivity and the standard of life for all. Places which are seen as having a strong cultural identity – London, Glasgow, Manchester, for example – are also seen as successful and attractive to the skilled and enterprising as places to live in, work in, visit, and invest in.

The most successful economies and societies in the 21st Century are widely expected to be the most creative ones. Research suggests that the creative industries have the potential to contribute to economic recovery and to continued innovation. They are already contributing to a quiet revolution in the shape of our economy, growing twice as fast as the overall economy over the last decade. Today they employ over 2 million people and account for a twelfth of our economy. The sector is characterised by high levels of self-employment and a workforce that is well educated and highly rewarded.

Our service is dedicated to supporting this work

Our work aims to build a better understanding of how cultural and creative activity feeds into industry supply chains, creates a better climate for inward investment and increases the attraction of areas to skilled and enterprising individuals and their families. This includes assessing the value of cultural inputs to projects and strategies and the way in which the cultural dimension of these activities contributes to the social and economic benefits achieved. We combine knowledge of creative and cultural sector policy and data, and of the requirements of local authorities and their partners.

We also have in-depth understanding of the contribution of the creative and cultural sector to the achievement of sustainable economic development, including its role in promoting innovation, economic development, place making, skills, well being and inclusion. Highlights include establishing:

• the impact of investment in sporting and cultural events and venues, notably the economic outputs and employment gained (to exacting HM Treasury and international standards); and
• the evidence base underpinning investment in cultural infrastructure, working with property developers on their proposal for financing, designing, building and operating a cultural facilities.

We have years of experience using (and developing) a variety of methodologies and research tools to evaluate economic and regeneration impacts and policy interventions.  We frequently work in complex environments with a mix of stakeholders where it is imperative both to engage all interests and arrive at agreement on what needs to be done and how to do it. We have a strong track-record of conducting impact assessments that need to meet the needs of a range of interests and at the same time, are straightforward to operate and produce information that is both robust and usable.