Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a major investment of more than £10 million over the next four years to support the capital’s creative and cultural industries—an initiative

projected to generate over £2.5 billion for London’s economy.

Funding will go to key industry leaders, including the British Fashion Council, Film London, Games London, and the London Design Festival. The investment is part of the Mayor’s wider London Growth Plan, unveiled last month, which aims to boost prosperity and secure long-term economic growth for the city.

This funding will enable the organisations to deliver world-renowned events such as London Fashion Week, the London Film Festival, the London Games Festival, and the London Design Festival. These platforms are crucial in supporting creative businesses, driving job creation, and maintaining London’s status as a global hub for the creative arts.

The investment is expected to unlock:

- £2.5bn in film production investment

- Up to £60m in fashion sales

- £17m in games sector investment

- £15m in sales and exports for up to 800 design businesses

It will also create thousands of new opportunities: up to 42,000 jobs for film and TV crew, 150 roles in gaming, and 300 training and employment openings across the creative sector. Since 2016, similar funding has already helped secure over £7.5 billion in trade, sales, and investment.

London’s creative industries currently contribute £51.7bn to the economy annually and account for one in every five jobs. While the sector has grown faster than the overall UK economy from 2010 to 2023, it continues to face challenges from Brexit and the pandemic.

The Mayor’s investment underscores his commitment to the creative economy, which is a central pillar of the London Growth Plan—a strategy designed to boost the city’s productivity and grow London’s economy by £107bn by 2035.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:  “I want London to grow and thrive over the next decade and our creative industries have a central role to play. They help make London the greatest city in the world and are vital to London’s success and future as well as the whole of the country. That’s why, as part of the London Growth plan, I’m investing in fashion, design, film and gaming to keep our capital at the forefront of these industries and drive growth, as we build a better London for everyone.”

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “Culture and creativity are our DNA in London and key to our success as a global city. It’s vital for industry and Government to work together to help us keep our position on the world stage, and this investment shows our ongoing commitment to fostering creativity and innovation within the capital. London’s flagship cultural events not only draw considerable global interest, they also play a crucial role in generating employment, nurturing creatives’ careers and boosting tourism.”

Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council, said: “Investing in London’s creative industries is essential and enables us to bolster London Fashion Week, which delivers in commercial and cultural impact. This continued funding from the Mayor of London is critical in providing emerging designers with showcasing opportunities and access to market, enabling them to grow their businesses in an increasingly challenging environment. Investment like this not only bolsters individual careers but also reinforces the UK’s position as a global leader for fashion and creativity.”

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London, said: “London is a global centre for film, TV, animation and games, generating billions of pounds and thousands of jobs. With its stage space, award-winning talent, infrastructure and new tax credits, London is on course for real, game-changing economic opportunities. This investment in Film London and Games London will help us to seize those opportunities, driving growth in the capital’s screen industries through innovation, nurturing talent and championing new generations of story-tellers and audiences in London. Our thanks go to the Mayor of London for this continued support and investment in the industry.”

Michael French, Head of Games London & Festival Director, London Games Festival, said: "London’s potent and vibrant creative energy has built world-leading creative industries of which games and interactive are an important element. Funding from the Mayor of London has so far enabled Games London and the London Games Festival to support the city to become the games capital of Europe, and it is still growing. This renewed investment will support programmes that continue to drive investment back into businesses across London, create well-paid skilled full time jobs, uplift the games sector and create growth opportunities for the capital and beyond.”

Ben Evans CBE, Director of London Design Festival, and Executive Director of London Design Biennale: “To sustain and grow London’s position as a global design city we must invest in showcasing. It is why the ongoing support of the London Design Festival by the Mayor is so critical. Now over 200 international cities have design promotion activities increasing competitiveness for London and the UK. Our now mature design and creative sector needs to fuel growth through international investment as well as stimulating domestic demand. Awareness of the breadth of opportunity and the depth of talent based in London must be strong for the design industry to thrive.” Photo by Dearbhla Mac Fadden Islington, Wikimedia commons.