The government’s 2025 Autumn Budget takes place on 26 November.

Bristol Creative Industries members share what they would like to see in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech for creative businesses.

“It’s a tough market right now for creative businesses. We’re an economy of SMEs and micro-enterprises so support that encourages both business start up and scale is critical to our sector growth.

“While it’s encouraging to see central government championing the creative industries, we need that ambition to translate into tangible support. Support, simplification, and incentives for growth are what we’d like to see. That means easier access to enhanced funding, grants and investment, particularly for digital transformation and innovation, alongside tax strategies and initiatives that will create impact including practical help to make hiring entry-level talent affordable and accessible.

“The creative economy is ready to grow, we need support to help us do just that.”

Lis Anderson, co-chair of Bristol Creative Industries

“As the Autumn Budget approaches, creative business leaders must make the case for real investment in young talent. Our industry runs on innovation, but too many aspiring creatives are shut out by lack of access, training, and opportunity.

“Government support for employers to offer paid placements, mentorship, and creative facilities would unlock a wave of energy and ideas our sector urgently needs, and provide the foundations of a solid growth strategy. Investing in the next generation strengthens our talent pipeline, fuels diversity, and keeps the UK’s creative industries globally competitive.”

Mustafa Mirreh, Tell ’em Mo

“Rachel Reeves should be bold. It would be a good start to give the UK’s creative industries a leg up by doubling the Discover Creative Careers programme to £6 million, getting 100,000 disadvantaged kids into apprenticeships and setting up hubs in places like the North East and Midlands to close the jobs gap with London.

“A freelancer package, sorting out IR35, chucking in a £500 startup credit, easing late payment hassles, and a £10 million AI upskilling pot could tackle the skills shortage and calm 60% of creatives worried about job losses. That’d really spark inclusive growth!”

Jayne Caple, Vivid Imagination

“I’d like to see better support for creative businesses, especially when it comes to upskilling and investing in training. Improved R&D and innovation tax reliefs (with proper guidance on how to access them) would go a long way, as would targeted funding and incentives for skills development.

“With the big AI wave reshaping how we all work, it’s crucial that the UK government keeps backing the creative sector and helps it stay at the forefront of innovation.”

Rob Morrisby, Jambi Digital

“If the government is serious about fuelling the UK’s creative growth, it can’t keep treating podcasting as a hobby. The UK podcast and audio industry is now worth £5 billion annually – one of the fastest-growing in the creative economy – and a vital export channel for British storytelling.

“A targeted tax relief and global IP fund would turn that momentum into measurable economic impact, giving independent creators and production studios the same investment confidence enjoyed by film and TV. This isn’t a hand-out; it’s a high-return strategy. With the right fiscal framework, podcasting could become the UK’s next world-class creative export”.

Matt Allen, It Starts With a Podcast

“There’s some truth to that, but it also highlights an issue with discourse surrounding these big-ticket fiscal events.

“Will Rachel Reeves break a tax pledge? Who will the winners and losers be? This is interesting for those in the business of news and politics, but my issue is that it misses a bigger point.

“We have a government with a huge majority, elected on a mandate to change things. They have an opportunity to overhaul an economy that’s visibly and palpably failed too many people for too long – especially outside London and the South East. This is the backdrop for so many of the problems facing us today.

“My hope for the Budget is that we start to see the government’s vision for the country and understand how it plans to get us there. I would start by putting more resource with town and city leaders and getting Treasury officials out of London more often to better understand what places need to thrive and see where their policies over the last 40 years have failed.

“Creating the conditions for businesses and their teams to thrive should be top of any government’s growth agenda. Affordable homes, training and transport that works should all feature in some way.

“This would also add some meat onto the bones of the government’s slogan of ‘change’ and justify any tax rises that seem certain to happen. Polls suggest many people would pay more for public services that work. The challenge for the government is to join the dots between the measures and the outcomes they want. Whatever measure grabs the headlines, I hope we get more of a sense of what ‘change’ really means.”

Ben Lowndes, Distinctive Communications

“The UK’s creative industries thrive on talent, but nurturing that talent takes investment. I’d like to see the Autumn Budget prioritise easily accessible funding for apprenticeships and professional development, especially for independent agencies who want to bring in the best new people but are faced with complex (or costly) schemes.

“We also need sustained support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that make creative careers possible for people from all backgrounds, not just those who can afford to take unpaid opportunities.

“Finally, a commitment to regional investment beyond London would unlock creative potential – and economic growth – across every part of the country.”

Ailsa Billington, Proctor and Stevenson

“Last year the creative industry was highlighted as a “key sector for economic growth”. This year I’d like to see the government go further. Creativity is an essential part of our economy, and we need stronger confidence, particularly in our region.

“Agencies like ours do more than “make things look good”. We craft world-class brand stories, shape digital experiences, and deliver campaigns that drive exports, growth, and innovation across the UK.

“Yet SMEs like ours are constantly squeezed. Rising costs, AI and immersive technologies are transforming how we work, and without targeted support and innovation agencies risk being left behind.

“The Autumn Budget is a chance to see more funding in that pace, and I’d like to see more opportunities with procurement to smaller agencies, and any business support via tax reliefs would be hugely welcome!”

Ruth Clarke, Six

“Employers shouldered the biggest tax rises in the October 2024 Budget, felt through the increase in employers NICs. Whilst Rachel Reeves has given herself very few tax levers to pull for the November 2025 Budget without breaking her manifesto pledge, I think it’s unlikely that further tax will be put on employers.

“Taxing businesses will only create more uncertainty. The creative sector needs a Budget that will bring back confidence in the UK economy.”

Karen Pearce, Loom Digital

“I feel like the Autumn Budget has been a long time coming – partly because it’s later than usual but partly because I’ve read so much about what may or may not happen. Most of it gloomy. But I’m waiting for the facts.

“I’m expecting changes to tax thresholds, but we’ll see what detail there is around that. I’m also expecting national minimum wage increases, but as a Living Wage Employer we’re well set up for them. I am encouraged by the recent measures announced to tackle late payments, which are a big problem for small businesses.”

Jessica Morgan, Carnsight Communications

“We saw business rates rise by over 30% overnight in the last review just a couple of years ago. With another review due next April — and no clarity from the Valuation Office, I’m deeply concerned. In uncertain times, the last thing businesses need is complete unpredictability.

“There’s talk of favourable changes for smaller high street properties being funded by higher rates on larger properties, but its just a mess. The entire business rates system needs rethinking. I hope a national review is on the agenda this autumn in time to give some clarity ahead of April.” 

Jason Smith, Gather Round and Fiasco

“As a small, independent, creative business leader, I’m looking to the Budget for reassurance that skills funding will work for businesses of my size and nature. SME access to funds for AI and digital upskilling is critical in helping us maintain pace with some of the larger creative players.

“I would also welcome harder enforcement on late payments as cashflow has become increasingly challenging with rising business costs since the last Budget.  Do this and agencies like ours in Bristol will have the support to continue our growth journeys, contributing to the wider creative offering within the South West.”

Lucy McKerron, Purplefish

“We hope the Autumn Budget recognises the vital role of the creative industries in driving economic growth and innovation. AI offers incredible potential for agencies like ours, and with the right support, such as relief on AI investment, we could combine technology and human imagination in even more powerful ways. 

“Incentives for content creation would further unlock bold ideas and new jobs across the UK’s creative economy. Ultimately, a Budget that treats creativity not as a luxury, but as a catalyst for progress, would be a powerful statement of intent.”

Kit Worrall, Team Eleven

“TV sets (and mobile phone and routers) are all coming with a big NPU (neural processing unit) inside which will allow the device itself to modify the content while the user watches. You can be in EastEnders for example!

“This creates massive new opportunities for UK creatives to lead, but to do it requires investment in tech as well as the creative industry.

“The tech to do this is created in the UK (we are one of those tech companies) but generally tech is ignored by the creative industry.

“This is not expensive cloud based AI.  This is Edge-based AI running in the device, at no cost to the broadcaster.  So far only the American and Chinese hyperscalers are taking advantage of this UK tech!”

Trevor Neal, RedSquid AI-TV

Look out for a guide to what the Autumn Budget 2025 means for the creative industries after the speech on 26 November.

Related content

A guide to the government’s creative industries sector plan

A guide to the government’s digital and technologies sector plan

Government names West of England as priority area for creative industries

About Bristol Creative Industries

Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network that supports the region's creative sector to learn, grow and connect, driven by the common belief that we can achieve more collectively than alone.