Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : United Kingdom – Armenia Strategic Dialogue: Joint Statement [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2023.

The inaugural Strategic Dialogue between the United Kingdom and Armenia was held in London on 13 November 2023.
On the occasion of the official visit to London of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, HE Mr Ararat Mirzoyan, the inaugural Strategic Dialogue between the United Kingdom and Armenia was held on 13 November 2023.

This first Strategic Dialogue was an opportunity to mark the strong cooperation and friendship between our two democracies. With the increase globally in threats to democratic values, human rights, rule of law and the freedoms we strive to protect for our citizens, working together on issues of mutual concern is more important than ever, not only to build trade and stability, but also to protect our shared core values. We reaffirmed the aspiration to build our partnership over the coming years.

During the dialogue, the Minister for Europe of the United Kingdom, Leo Docherty MP, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, discussed a range of global and regional issues of mutual concern, and ways in which the UK and Armenia can work together going forward. These included:

Governance and rule of law, where through its programming in Armenia the UK is supporting the digitalisation and streamlining of public services, the improvement of gender equality in the police force, and will soon begin working to support Armenia’s border management capacities to tackle security and migration issues.

UK-Armenia defence cooperation, which continues to expand with increased numbers of personnel from the Armenian military and Ministry of Defence, and police (MOIA) personnel receiving English Language training instruction, as well as places on UK senior and junior command and leadership courses, and multi-national peace-keeping and mine-awareness packages. Both parties looked forward to the sixth round of UK-Armenia Staff Talks later this month.

Trade and economic ties, notably the recently held UK-Armenia Business Forum in London, where the Minister of State for Regulatory Reform, the Earl of Minto, and Armenian Minister for the Economy, Vahan Kerobyan, welcomed an audience of Armenian and British businesses to discuss the wide range of trade and investment opportunities between our countries.

The Ministers agreed on the absolute necessity of the establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus based on the mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders on the basis of the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration, and the opening of regional connectivity links based on full respect of each country’s sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The Minister for Europe emphasised the UK’s commitment to supporting those affected by the long-running conflict, including through £1 million of funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross announced in September.

Finally, both parties looked forward to continuing to enhance the relationship between the UK and Armenia beyond this inaugural Strategic Dialogue, including through the upcoming visit by the Minister for Europe to Armenia, and through the agreement of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which we collectively hope to conclude in the coming months.
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UN police play a critical role in mediation and protection – UK statement at the UN Security Council [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on UN peacekeeping operations.

Thank you President, and thank you to all of our briefers today. UN Police are uniquely placed to contribute to meeting the aims of the New Agenda for Peace, preventing the recurrence of conflict and sustaining peace. UN police play a critical role in mediation and protection, and can build trust and understanding with communities.

UN police support host nation capacity-building for the longer term. They should carry out the full range of activities that they are mandated to fulfil, in line with the 2016 UNPOL external review, to help establish the Rule of Law, protect human rights and sustainable peace. Given the time that has passed since the last report of the Secretary-General on UNPOL, the UK would encourage the Secretariat to consider preparing a new report for the Council on UNPOL activities and governance.

The UK welcomes the closer integration of police into UN peacekeeping, in line with the emphasis on strategic and operational integration as part of the A4P+ priorities. Missions are stronger and safer when police are treated as an integral part, able to contribute their community intelligence and apply their unique set of skills.

Commander Fossen highlighted how important the Women, Peace and Security agenda is for successful policing. Ensuring that police forces reflect the communities they serve is not only the right thing to do, it leads to better mission performance and can have positive impacts for the role of women in host state security institutions. The UK continues to support initiatives to increase the participation of women in peacekeeping, including the Senior Women Talent Pipeline and the Elsie Initiative Fund, to which we have given more than $8.5 million since its inception.

Finally, President, I want to reiterate my thanks to UNPOL for the brave and important work they carry out in such challenging environments. The UK looks forward to continuing to work with UNPOL on achieving its reform priorities.

Thank you.

November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New bill gives police more powers to take zero-tolerance approach to crime [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 14 November 2023.

A new Criminal Justice Bill will protect the public from ruthless criminals and empower the police to take a zero-tolerance approach to cut crime and keep neighbourhoods safe.

The bill, introduced in the House of Commons today (14 November), will be focused on keeping violent criminals locked up for longer and making sure victims’ voices are heard.

Measures in the bill will build on progress already made to keep our streets safer – such as the police’s commitment to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry. Since 2010, violent crime is down 52% and domestic burglary by 57% in England and Wales.

Through the bill, police will be given greater powers to retrieve stolen goods from thieves, such as mobile phones, without a warrant and technology used to steal cars including signal jammers parked outside houses will be banned.

Officers will also be given more powers to stamp out anti-social behaviour and intimidation and crack down on drug-taking, with powers to test suspects for more drugs on arrest.

Victims will be better protected from knife crime with police given new powers to seize, retain and destroy knives found on private property that are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence. We are also creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intent to use it violently.

This will build on the government’s committed to take dangerous weapons off our streets, with 120,000 knives removed since 2019.

Judges will also be given more powers to make horrific criminals attend court when their sentences are handed out to hear directly from victims and feel the weight of their crimes – if offenders refuse, they will face a further two years in prison.

This bill will also add to our record better protecting women and girls and the Online Safety Act. Through the Criminal Justice Bill, the government will create a package of offences tackling taking intimate images without consent. This will cover acts such as downblousing and will make sure that police and prosecutors have the power to better tackle this type of behaviour.

More vulnerable individuals will be helped off the streets and directed to appropriate support, with new powers for the police and local authorities to tackle nuisance begging – including criminals gangs who cause distress to the public by aggressively begging by cash points.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said:

The British people deserve to feel safe and secure going about their daily business knowing the government is here to protect them – this bill will reassure the public by giving the police more powers to do just that.

It rightly puts neighbourhoods and communities first by tackling the scourge of knife crime, drugs, theft and anti-social behaviour – making sure the worst, most dangerous criminals are locked up for longer.

My first job as Home Secretary is to protect the British public and taking a zero-tolerance approach to crime on every level is just one way I will be doing this.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC said:

Victims are not spectators in the criminal justice system; they must be core participants. The new Criminal Justice Bill will ensure offenders have to face up to the harm they have caused victims, and hear society’s condemnation through the judge’s sentencing remarks.

The legislation continues our mission to keep more women and girls safe from violence and intimidation, building on our landmark Domestic Abuse and Online Safety Acts.

The bill will also target hardened criminals and those who knowingly enable them by making sure our laws keep pace with their tactics and changing use of technology.

This means templates used to make 3D printed firearms, pill presses, and vehicle concealments will be banned, alongside signal jammers used for car theft.

Other measures contained in the bill include:
- creating a statutory aggravating factor at sentencing for grooming behaviour, to make sure those involved in grooming gangs receive the toughest possible sentences
- boosting confidence in the police by providing for a duty of candour for policing and enabling provisions to allow chief officers of police forces the right to appeal the result of misconduct panels to the Police Appeals Tribunal
- Strengthening Serious Crime Prevention Orders to make it easier for police and other law enforcement agencies to place restrictions on offenders or suspected offenders and stop them from participating in further crime
- new powers to tackle economic crime by strengthening the tools available to law enforcement agencies including prohibiting possession or supply of SIM farms with no legitimate purpose
- reforming confiscation powers used to strip convicted criminals of their proceeds of crime and extending the powers of law enforcement agencies to suspend domain names and IP addresses used for fraudulent purposes
- creating a scheme whereby the government works with the financial sector to use monies in accounts suspended on suspicion of crime for projects to tackle economic crime
- increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of possession, importation, manufacture, sale or supply of prohibited offensive weapons and of selling knives to those under 18 from six months to two years’ imprisonment, reflecting the severity of the offence
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Food delivery companies urged to end unchecked account sharing [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 14 November 2023.

Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat urged to end unchecked account sharing to protect the public.

Food delivery firms have been urged by the government to conduct checks on all delivery drivers, to protect the British public and prevent illegal working.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has demanded Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat end the practice of unchecked account sharing, known as ‘substitutions’, by implementing stricter controls.

Under the current model, food delivery companies allow account holders to substitute deliveries to multiple people who are not checked by the companies. This means customers have no way of knowing whether the person who hands over their order has been properly vetted, and the delivery companies do not know if the delivery driver has the right to work in the UK.

In a letter from Minister Jenrick to online food delivery platforms (PDF, 107 KB, 2 pages) to each company, ahead of a meeting with them today (14 November), the Minister called for the practice to end, warning that the substitution business model is enabling illegal working, allowing exploitation and putting the British public at risk.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said:

When someone orders a takeaway to their home, they deserve to know that the person arriving at their door has been properly vetted and is who they’re expecting.

Unchecked account sharing places the public at risk, enables – and therefore encourages – illegal migration, and leads to the exploitation of workers. That’s why I’m calling on these companies to end the use of unverified substitution.

We’re taking the action needed to safeguard the British public and prevent the scourge of illegal working. It is critical these companies work with us to achieve this.

The government is calling on firms to introduce stricter vetting measures to make sure people representing each company are allowed to work in the UK, and do not have a criminal record.

Immigration Enforcement teams have already ramped up action targeting illegal working in the food delivery sector, conducting over 250 enforcement visits and making over 380 arrests involving food delivery drivers so far this year.

The Home Office has led engagement with Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat over recent months. In August, an agreement was secured with the businesses to strengthen existing recruitment processes and improve awareness of illegal working in the UK.

The government will continue to work with the food delivery sector to build on this cooperation and prevent illegal working.

November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Funfair heir, Harry Jones, has prison sentence extended [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 14 November 2023.

Harry Jones, from Cradley Heath, Wolverhampton, had his 10-year term increased by four years after the Solicitor General referred his sentence as being unduly lenient.

The court heard that Jones had fallen out with his colleague Daniel Tulley and the pair arranged a fight over social media.

On 4 November 2019, Jones drove round to Tulley’s home in Bloxwich where he threatened his partner before tracking Tulley down on Clayhanger Road, Brownhills. The incident culminated in Tulley being struck by a car and thrown off the bonnet when the vehicle stopped.

Jones fled the scene without checking on Tulley who was left with serious injuries and in need of emergency brain surgery. He spent more than a month in hospital and has been left with serious long-term injuries.

The Solicitor General, Michael Tomlinson KC MP, said:

Harry Jones may have been a respectable local businessman but his actions that day were utterly deplorable. His personal dispute with Daniel Tulley has left him with severe long-term injuries which will impact his life forever.

The court also took a dim view of Harry Jones’ heinous actions and have increased his prison term, sending a stark warning that leaving someone for dead has serious consequences.

Harry Jones was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 21 July 2023 for one count of grievous bodily harm with intent.

On Tuesday 14 November the Court of Appeal increased Jones’s sentence to 14 years after it was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : 44th Universal Periodic Review of human rights – UK statement on Bangladesh [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2023.

Simon Manley, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, delivered a statement during Bangladesh’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council.
Thank you, Mr President,

The United Kingdom welcomes steps taken by the government of Bangladesh to promote and protect human rights, as well as its continued hosting of nearly 1 million Rohingya. We look forward to a free, fair, participatory, and peaceful national election next year.

We recommend that Bangladesh:

Take measures to guarantee a safe and transparent environment for civil society, human rights defenders and the media, ensuring that they can exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly without fear of repercussions.

Take steps to ensure the full independence of the judiciary from the Executive and Parliament.

Continue working with partners at all levels to protect the rights of women and girls, empowering them to fulfil their potential and lead a healthy life, free from gender-based violence.

Thank you.
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : 44th Universal Periodic Review of human rights – UK statement on Russia [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 November 2023.

Simon Manley, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN, delivered a statement during Russia’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council.
Thank you, Mr President

Where does one start? Since the last UPR, Russia’s repression at home has intensified, enabling its oppression overseas, not least the continuing atrocities in Ukraine, many of which the Commission of Inquiry and OHCHR consider amount to war crimes.

The UK recommends that Russia:

Cease the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and within the temporarily Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine; and immediately returns all affected Ukrainian children.

Release all those detained on political grounds, such as Alexei Navalny, or for opposing the war, including Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Repeal legislation that enables its crackdown on anti-war protest, independent media and civil society.
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Scottish Secretary responds to Labour Market stats for Nov 2023 [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland on 14 November 2023.

Alister Jack says measures to remove barriers to work are effective, with a near record number of people on company payrolls in Scotland.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

Our employment record remains strong and our reforms are working – with a near record number of people on company payrolls in Scotland, up 23,000 from this time last year.

Bolstered by our direct investment in Scotland of £2.5 billion from our levelling up agenda, we are on track to halve inflation and grow the economy for long-term prosperity right across the UK.

Additional information:
- Measures from the UK Government’s £3.5 billion investment in removing barriers to work are making a difference – including the mid-life MOT for over-50s and increasing the amount that can be claimed for childcare by those on Universal Credit.
- The ONS has published a regional breakdown on payrolled employees. The estimates for Scotland show that the number of payrolled employees rose by 0.9% compared with October 2022, a rise of 22,654 employees to 2,456,355.
- The number of payrolled employees in Scotland was up 3.7%- since February 2020, a rise of 87,660 employees.
- Pay estimates for Great Britain show that annual growth in regular pay (excluding bonuses) in Great Britain was 7.7% in July to September 2023, slightly down on the previous periods, but is still among the highest annual growth rates since comparable records began in 2001.
- In real terms annual growth for total pay rose on the year by 1.4%, and regular pay rose on the year by 1.3%.
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : British Prime Ministers who returned to government [November 2023]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 November 2023.

David Cameron became the latest former British Prime Minister to serve in a government led by another PM this week.

There is no fixed role for former British Prime Ministers once they leave office, and many have remained as Members of Parliament or returned to serve in governments led by others.

This week, David Cameron was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, making him the latest former Prime Minister to return to Cabinet under a different Prime Minister.

He served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, leading Britain’s first coalition government in nearly 70 years before forming the first majority Conservative government in the UK for almost two decades.

Now, he becomes Foreign Secretary – making him the first former Prime Minister to serve in the position after Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who took up the role from 1970-1974.

Here are some of the past Prime Ministers who returned to Cabinet after their premiership.

See David Cameron’s first Cabinet meeting as Foreign Secretary with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak here.

Alec Douglas-Home

After his four-seat defeat to Harold Wilson at the 1964 general election, Douglas-Home returned to join Edward Heath’s Cabinet as Foreign Secretary in 1970.

He was an unexpected Prime Minister and did not originally seek the position before being elected in 1963. He served for 363 days, and his government is remembered for overseeing the abolition of resale price maintenance.

Neville Chamberlain

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stood down as Prime Minister after coming under attack from all political sides after the failure of the British efforts to liberate Norway.

Following his resignation in May 1940, Chamberlain remained leader of the Conservative Party and acted briefly as Lord President of the Council, with ministerial responsibility for the Privy Council Office.

The Privy Council advises on the exercise of prerogative business and certain functions assigned to The King and the Council by Acts of Parliament.

Soon after standing down as Prime Minister, he was struck down with bowel cancer, forcing him to resign from Winston Churchill’s coalition government and as leader of the party. He died shortly after his resignation.

Arthur Balfour

Arthur Balfour was Prime Minister for three years before defeats in the Commons and in by-elections led to his resignation in December 1905.

He continued to lead his party until 1911 and would go on to serve as a Cabinet Minister for eleven years during and after the First World War.

In 1915 he became First Lord of the Admiralty – the government’s most senior advisor of naval affairs – in the wartime coalition. He became Foreign Secretary in David Lloyd George’s coalition in 1916, and for the greater part of the 1920s he was Lord President of the Council in Stanley Baldwin’s government.

Other Prime Ministers who returned to serve in government include Lord John Russell, Viscount Goderich and the Duke of Wellington, who after two brief terms as Prime Minister served as a minister in Robert Peel’s government.

Former Prime Ministers who have returned to government:
- David Cameron.
Premiership: 2010 to 2016

Role: Foreign Secretary
- Alec Douglas-Home
Premiership: 1963 to 1964

Role: Foreign Secretary
- Neville Chamberlain
Premiership: 1937 to 1940

Role: Lord President of the Council
- James Ramsay Macdonald
Premiership: 1924 to 1924, 1929 to 1935

Role: Lord President of the Council
- Stanley Baldwin
Premiership: 1923 to 1924, 1924 to 1929, 1935 to 1937

Role: Lord President of the Council
- Arthur Balfour
Premiership: 1902 to 1905

Role: First Lord of the Admiralty, Foreign Secretary, Lord President of the Council
- John Russell
Premiership: 1846 to 1852, 1865 to 1866

Role: Foreign Secretary
- Arthur Wellesley
Premiership: 1828 to 1830, 1834 to 1834

Role: Foreign Secretary, Leader of the House of Lords
- Frederick Robinson
Premiership: 1827 to 1828

Role: Lord Privy Seal, President of the Board of Trade, President of the India Board
- Henry Addington
Premiership: 1908 to 1916

Role: Home Secretary
- William Cavendish-Bentinck
Premiership: 1783 to 1783, 1807 to 1809

Role: Home Secretary
- Frederick North
Premiership: 1770 to 1782

Role: Home Secretary
- Augustus FitzRoy
Premiership: 1768 to 1770

Role: Lord Privy Seal
- William Cavendish
Premiership: 1756 to 1757

Role: Lord Chamberlain
- Thomas Pelham-Holles
Premiership: 1754 to 1756, 1757 to 1762

Role: Lord Privy Seal

Click here to find out more about the latest ministerial appointments
November 22, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Culture Secretary celebrates northern creativity in Manchester [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 November 2023.
- Culture Secretary hosts WeCreate conference in Manchester to meet with businesses in the creative industries and forge ahead with plans to grow creative industries by £50 billion by 2030
- Six areas across England awarded share of £10.9 million to scale up hundreds of creative industry businesses, boosting access to private finance and business support
- Grassroots music venues, promoters and festivals across England encouraged to apply for share of £5 million investment to help develop new audiences and income opportunities
Hundreds of creative businesses will benefit from more than £10 million of targeted support to attract investment and create jobs as part of the Government’s goal to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030.

It comes as Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer brings together more than 140 cultural and creative businesses across film, TV, fashion, music and video games at the WeCreate conference at Aviva Studios in Manchester, to celebrate the success of the creative industries across the North of England and discuss how government and the sectors can work together to maximise their potential even further.

Firms across Greater Manchester – such as Broaden Films and Scoop PR – have already benefited from the first round of the government’s Create Growth Programme. Today the Culture Secretary is doubling the areas covered by the programme, announcing six new areas that will receive a share of £10.9 million for targeted business support, bringing the total number of creative organisations expected to be supported by the programme to 1,800.

The expansion of the Create Growth Programme will see creative businesses across Nottinghamshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Devon and Hertfordshire supported to access private investment and scale-up advice – to turn today’s start-up founders into tomorrow’s CEOs.

The Culture Secretary is also calling on grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for millions of gig-goers across the UK.

Addressing creative industry leaders in Manchester, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer is expected to say:

Today is about not only celebrating all the things that make our creative industries special, but looking ahead to the future and how we, together, can chart a course that keeps these crown jewels of our economy shining for years to come.

We’re already making progress towards the ambitious goals set out in our sector vision, unveiling millions in new funding to drive growth in our grassroots and scale ups and banging the drum for creative careers.

From 2010 to 2019, the creative industries grew more than one and a half times faster than the wider economy and in 2021 they generated £108 billion in economic value. In 2021, they employed 2.3 million people – a 49% increase since 2011. The Government has identified the creative industries as one of five priority sectors to deliver future growth and the Creative Industries Sector Vision set out an ambition to grow these sectors by £50 billion by 2030.

As part of the work to reach this ambition, the WeCreate conference will include a panel discussion on how business and government can work together to maximise investment in the creative industries, as well as a discussion about the adoption of emerging tech in order to drive growth and the challenges and opportunities which AI brings to this.

The conference will be attended by key organisations in the creative industries from across the North of England, including Wakefield Production Park, the Royal Armouries Museum and the Manchester Film Festival, as well as national organisations such as Pinewood Studios, Channel 4 and the British Fashion Council.

The Culture Secretary is launching a new round of the Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, which has been expanded to ensure grants reach more parts of the grassroots industry, including rehearsal and recording studios, promoters, festivals and venues hosting electronic music. The broader eligibility criteria reflects the wide range of spaces and skills that are needed to help musicians perform and thrive.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said:

This investment by the UK Government and Arts Council England reaffirms our commitment to supporting this hugely important part of the music industry. People value the opportunity to develop and express their creativity, and the grassroots music sector excels at allowing communities to design and develop creative and cultural activity where they live.

We hope this new funding will continue to address the needs of the sector and empower it to carry on offering high-quality live music experiences for audiences across the country.

A pipeline of skills is key to industry growth, and the WeCreate conference comes at the beginning of this year’s Discover! Creative Careers Week, with digital resources and over 70 in-person and virtual events in more than 270 schools and colleges across the country to introduce the next generation of creatives to different sectors, job roles and career pathways. This builds on support from the Local Skills Improvement Fund – announced last week – to improve creative skills training, deliver new creative courses and invest in new facilities and equipment across West Yorkshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and London.

It will see Calderdale College in Halifax, West Yorkshire, receive £1.2 million to establish a state-of-the-art creative skills hub in Halifax, which will develop and deliver new digital courses covering the latest digital technologies being used across theatre, film, TV, music and video games. Meanwhile, North Hertfordshire College will receive £485,000 to develop courses that meet the skills needs of the film and production industries, and deliver industry-standard equipment for film and media projects.

Notes to editors

Create Growth Programme

The Create Growth Programme, delivered by Innovate UK, was extended with new funding as part of the government’s vision for the creative industries announced earlier this summer, taking the fund’s total to £28.4 million. The funding will enable businesses to better monetise their ideas, access resources and attract private investment to scale up and maximise their potential. Businesses will be able to get access to relevant workshops and masterclasses as well as one-to-one mentoring with industry experts. The programme also provides support for hiring and scaling up and investment training programmes.

The six areas awarded funding today as part of the £10.9 million expansion of the Create Growth Programme are:
- Nottinghamshire
- Hull and East Yorkshire
- West Midlands
- West Yorkshire
- Devon
- Hertfordshire
The amount of funding each area will receive is not set and depends on the individual area’s business needs and the number of businesses that apply for grants and support. More details will become available as the programme progresses.

Since launching in 2022, the programme has funded support for businesses across six regions to help local companies like Broaden Films, a Manchester-based video production company, which has been able to host its own entertainment festival, start building a new sustainable studio and work with more clients as a result of the support.

The six areas already participating in the Create Growth Programme are:
- Greater Manchester
- Leicestershire
- West of England, and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
- East Anglia
- North East
- Kent and the South East
Supporting Grassroots Music Fund

England’s grassroots music industry can now apply for grants from the £5 million Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, managed by Arts Council England (ACE). Grants of up to £40,000, available until March 2025 and delivered through National Lottery Project Grants, will help recipients do things like improve lighting and sound equipment, pay for repairs, and produce more live streamed content to diversify their income and build new audiences.

Since ACE launched the original Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund in 2019, more than £9 million has been invested in over 450 projects. For example, music venue Komedia in Bath received £44,000 to help improve their sound and lighting equipment, while The Smokehouse in Ipswich received £15,000 to help them book a more diverse range of artists, and offer local artists opportunities to play alongside established names.

More information about the Supporting Grassroots Music Fund can be found on the Arts Council website.

Creative skills

The seven creative projects receiving a share of £165 million from the Local Skills Improvement Fund are being led by:
- Sparsholt College, Hampshire
- Hertford Regional College, Hertfordshire
- North Hertfordshire College, Hertfordshire
- Havant and South Downs College, Hampshire
- Activate Learning, Berkshire
- West Thames College, London
- Calderdale College, West Yorkshire
November 22, 2023