A group of cultural organisations and industry professionals have launched a recovery plan that aims to support Brighton & Hove’s economy through creativity. The group have collaborated in response to the social and economic impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the city’s arts and events sector and wider community.
The ABCD for Cultural Recovery report has been published online with endorsement by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Tourism, Equalities & Culture Committee. Recruitment has begun for paid positions for creative workers to join specific working groups tasked with securing further investment and to drive delivery of the plan.
Brighton & Hove is renowned for being a creative city. In 2019, a study from the University of Sussex revealed that the creative and cultural industries in Greater Brighton generated more than £1.5 billion in annual turnover. More than 16,000 people are employed within creative businesses in over 6,100 companies or organisations, with over half of those based in the city of Brighton & Hove.
The ABCD Governing Body consists of individual representatives from the Arts & Creative Industries Commission Brighton & Hove (ACIC); Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival; Brighton & Hove City Council, Event Professionals Independent Committee (EPIC), What Next? Brighton with contributions from freelance professionals.
The Governing Body said:
“One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic has been the collaboration across the city’s creative sector and the willingness to work collectively to protect the city’s thriving cultural scene. We now need to move to the next phase, to recruit a team and Working Group members who can attract investment and expertise in order to achieve the plan’s objectives – ensuring skilled workers and jobs are retained; offer training and support for creative entrepreneurship to grow; reviving tourism through culture and advocating the positive effects the arts have on the health and well-being of residents.”
The ABCD for Cultural Recovery report and recruitment opportunities can be found HERE.
