Posted on Wednesday 17th April 2024
Staffordshire is set to become a prime location for film and television set production with backing from the county council.
With Cannock Chase, the Staffordshire Peak District, the canal network and its great town centres, the county will showcase its offer to global production companies at a new film office.
The Staffordshire Film Office is being launched and operated by We Are Staffordshire – the county’s place marketing organisation – which is made up of the county and all eight district and borough councils, as well as representatives from over 200 businesses including a private sector-led Place Board. The organisation this week marked the end of its three-year pilot and start of a new chapter, having raised £90,000 in funds from the private sector and district and borough council partners to continue its work.
Staffordshire County Council is investing £300,000 in the three-year pilot programme to set up the film office, which will be launched next year. From then on it is expected the office will be funded through its own income generation.
Film and TV production can help to raise Staffordshire’s profile on the national and international stage and play a part in growing the county’s economy.
The film and TV production industry contributes approximately £6.3bn to the UK economy each year, and almost a third of visitors to the country are interested in going to location seen on screen. Film tourism in England generates £140million each year.
The Staffordshire Film Office will provide a single point of contact for production enquiries – providing information on locations, local support businesses and facilities, general advice and a speed up application processes, meaning companies not having to contact different organisations for licensing.
The Staffordshire Film Office project was officially launched at the We Are Staffordshire: A Place to Celebrate conference today. The event looked back at three years of the organisation, which has a mission to challenge perceptions of the county and put Staffordshire on the national and global map as the best place to put down roots, grow a business and career, and spend quality time.
A three-year review charting We Are Staffordshire’s impact can be viewed at: www.wearestaffordshire.co.uk/review
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
This is a hugely exciting project for Staffordshire – enabling us to further showcase the fantastic places we have in the county, generate jobs and support our economic growth.
Established film offices elsewhere in the country have been a great success and we know we can emulate that here with the wealth and variety of locations we can offer.
There are multiple benefits for us. These include direct spend on hiring locations, income from car parking and road closures, and boosts for the hospitality sector, our businesses and the local workforce. We’re confident that as a known and go-to place for film and TV production we can attract and retain creative talent to Staffordshire.”