Liverpool has signed a landmark partnership with one of the UK’s leading film and television hubs in a move aimed at attracting investment and creating new opportunities across the creative industries.
Liverpool City Council and Hertsmere Borough Council have agreed to establish a new Creative & Innovation Corridor, connecting the two areas and encouraging greater collaboration across film, television, music, gaming, immersive technology and other rapidly growing sectors.
The agreement will see the councils work together to explore opportunities for economic growth, investment and skills development, while strengthening links between businesses, universities, industry partners and public sector organisations.
Hertsmere, in Hertfordshire, is at the heart of the UK’s film and television production industry and is home to major studios and a significant network of businesses operating across the screen sector.
Liverpool, meanwhile, has established itself as one of the UK’s most prominent filming locations, supported by the work of Liverpool Film Office and continued investment in the city’s creative infrastructure.
The partnership is designed to bring together the complementary strengths of both areas, creating opportunities for companies, investors and residents while supporting the development of new technologies and creative production.
Joint working is expected to cover film and television production, music, animation, gaming, immersive technology, research and development, workforce development and inward investment.
The councils also hope closer relationships between universities and industry will help develop stronger talent pipelines, providing people with the skills required by the UK’s evolving creative economy.
At the centre of the agreement is the ambition to establish a Creative & Innovation Corridor between Liverpool and Hertsmere, bringing together two nationally significant creative economies and providing a framework for future projects and investment.
For Liverpool, the partnership forms part of wider plans to strengthen the city’s position as a major centre for creativity, digital industries and innovation.
It will build on Liverpool’s international cultural profile and growing screen sector, alongside major developments including the Littlewoods Creative Campus, which is being developed as a significant new hub for film, television and creative industries in the city.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Liverpool City Council and Hertsmere Borough Council will initially run for three years, with the partnership reviewed annually.
The agreement establishes a framework through which the two authorities can work together and does not create legal, financial, procurement or contractual obligations for either council.
Councillor Jeremy Newmark, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, said:
“This is a landmark agreement that recognises Hertsmere and Liverpool are not competitors, we complement each other.
“Hertsmere has been at the heart of the UK’s film and television industry for more than a century with world class studios, Elstree Film Studios. Fairbanks Studios. Sky Studios Elstree, and soundstages, crews and craft.
“Liverpool brings locations the world recognises, a music heritage no one can match, and a visitor economy that turns a film shoot into a tourist trail.
“Put those together and you have something neither of us has alone. A production that builds its sets in Borehamwood, shoots its streets in Liverpool — and spends its money in both.
“The creative industries are one of the eight growth sectors at the heart of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. And the competition for every major production is global.
“Investors do not want a patchwork of councils. They want a proposition. This memorandum gives them one: a North–South Creative and Innovation Corridor, backed by two councils that have chosen to work together.
“Today, Liverpool and Hertsmere are backing talent; backing ambition and backing each other.”
Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:
“Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading creative cities, and this partnership reflects our ambition to build new relationships that support growth, innovation and opportunity.
“Hertsmere have an internationally recognised reputation in film and television production, while Liverpool has established itself as a major centre for culture, creativity, innovation, and regeneration.
“By bringing together our complementary strengths, we can create stronger connections between our creative economies, support skills and investment, and help position both places at the forefront of the UK’s future creative growth.”
