UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Investigating Local Creative Industries Development Initiatives in England: Case Studies in Urban South Hampshire 2011-14 Paul James Spencer ORCID 0000-0002-1023-4068 Doctor of Philosophy May 2017 This thesis has been completed as a requirement for a postgraduate research degree of the University of Winchester. DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT STATEMENT Declaration: No portion of the work referred to in the thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning. I confirm that this thesis is entirely my own work. Copyright: Copyright © Paul James Spencer 2017 Investigating Local Creative Industries Development Initiatives in England: Case Studies in Urban South Hampshire 2011-14, University of Winchester, PhD thesis, pp. 1-313, ORCID 0000-0002-1023-4068. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the author. Details may be obtained from the Research and Knowledge Exchange Centre, University of Winchester. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the author. No profit may be made from selling, copying or licensing the author’s work without further agreement. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of the individuals and organisations that participated in the research for this thesis. I also wish to thank the University of Winchester, Eastleigh Borough Council and The Point for their financial contributions and for providing me with access to office space, meeting rooms and other facilities. Thank you to my colleagues, friends and family who have given me support and encouragement and a special thank you to my supervisory team Dr Fran Mason, Dr Paul Manning and Dr Cheryl Butler. DEDICATION For Charles Cullen, 1923-2013 2 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER ABSTRACT Investigating Local Creative Industries Development Initiatives in England: Case Studies in Urban South Hampshire 2011-14 Paul James Spencer ORCID 0000-0002-1023-4068 Doctor of Philosophy May 2017 In recent years the creative industries have become a focus of policy and academic discussion across the world. However, much of the existing literature has concentrated on national perspectives or on social and economic regeneration strategies in large cultural cities while data and understanding at the local level is more limited. This thesis aims to help redress this imbalance by focussing on the smaller and less established context of Urban South Hampshire on the central south coast of England. Longitudinal case studies are used to explore two key research questions, firstly, what are the needs, motivations and experiences of people hoping to develop careers and businesses in the sector; and secondly, how can local initiatives and public sector interventions support creative industries development. While some guidance is available to assist local and regional decision-makers there are few studies which follow the evolution of specific interventions over time to evaluate their effectiveness and inform future sectoral strategies. Although the urban bias of the creative industries is well documented this thesis argues that under the right conditions and with the right policies and initiatives towns and smaller cities can offer a more welcoming, affordable and socially cohesive creative milieu in contrast to the highly competitive environments of major cities. Demand for specialist initiatives with a dual focus on nurturing creative practice as well as promoting enterprise and business skills is also highlighted. This is especially relevant at the cultural-end of the sector which is becoming increasingly exposed to market pressures in part due to recent cuts in public sector spending. The thesis also argues that creative individuals are seeking new spaces to exist within the sector which allow them a level of creative autonomy over their practice while also enabling them to develop sustainable careers and successful businesses. Keywords: creative industries, creative workers, cultural policy, economic development 3 4 LIST OF CONTENTS DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT STATEMENT .............................................................. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DEDICATION ................................................................... 2 ABSTRACT ………………….................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................ 8 LIST OF MAPS ............................................................................................................... 9 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. 10 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 11 2. ART, CULTURE AND ECONOMICS ................................................................................ 19 2.1. The problem of culture as commodity ..............................................................20 The capitalist culture industry ............................................................................ 21 Cultural commodity production ......................................................................... 24 Art and the market ............................................................................................. 27 The new dynamics of culture ............................................................................. 30 2.2. Public policy and the creative industries sector ............................................... 33 Culture-led urban renaissance ........................................................................... 35 The new economy .............................................................................................. 38 Creativity and urbanity ....................................................................................... 41 New Labour’s cultural legacy ............................................................................. 43 3. INVESTIGATING LOCAL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT ................................. 47 3.1. The regional context .......................................................................................... 49 The South East of England .................................................................................. 55 Urban South Hampshire ..................................................................................... 60 3.2. Local initiatives and public sector interventions .............................................. 65 Local cultural strategies and investing in creative industries ............................. 67 Art, culture and creative industries development ............................................. 71 3.3. Research Methodology: Case Studies in Urban South Hampshire .................. 75 Business advisory service in Portsmouth ........................................................... 82 Workspace agency in Southampton .................................................................. 85 Associate artist scheme in Eastleigh .................................................................. 89 4. CASE STUDY 1: BUSINESS ADVISORY SERVICE IN PORTSMOUTH ............................... 96 4.1. Creative Industries Business Advisory Service (CIBAS) .................................... 97 Services and clientele ......................................................................................... 99 5 A longitudinal perspective between 2006 and 2013 ......................................... 104 Comparison with an arts advisory service in Winchester and Havant ……………. 109 4.2. Specialist business support services and creative industries development .... 113 Understanding the needs of creative businesses .............................................. 115 Business advisory services and local creative economies …............................... 119 Considerations for models of best practice ....................................................... 123 5. CASE STUDY 2: WORKSPACE AGENCY IN SOUTHAMPTON ......................................... 127 5.1. A Space Arts ‘Growing Creative Communities’ ……........................................... 128 Workspace portfolio and residents .................................................................... 130 A longitudinal perspective between 2000 and 2014 ......................................... 135 The impacts of a new workspace on its residents during the first year…………… 139 5.2. Specialist workspaces and creative industries development .......................... 145 Understanding the needs of creative businesses .............................................. 147 Specialist workspaces and local creative economies ......................................... 155 Considerations for models of best practice ....................................................... 157 6. CASE STUDY 3: ASSOCIATE ARTIST SCHEME IN EASTLEIGH .......................................