Sheffield’s arts, entertainment and recreation sector growing despite pandemic challenges

Using data from the Office for National Statistics: iowca, a lending company focusing on small businesses (SMEs), revealed the number of arts, entertainment, and recreation businesses, expanded by 6.99 per cent in the city, increasing from 1,145 to 1,225 in just five years.

Councillor Minesh Parekh, who sits on the Economic Development and Skills committee, said: “We’re very proud of the work being taken by cultural partners across the city, and how much Sheffield is enriched by it.”

He believes the growth of the sector, coupled with the council’s culture strategy plan, could mean further job opportunities, funding and millions in investment being brought into the city and the whole region.

In 2021, a University of Sheffield report revealed 55 per cent of jobs in the sector had been furloughed, with more than 80,000 claims made under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

At the time of the report, Kate Brindley, the Arts, Culture and Heritage Project Director for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, said: “These sectors are vital to our economy, civic identity, and quality of life in South Yorshire.”

Last month, Coun Parekh, brought a motion to Sheffield City Council addressing what he called central government’s ‘failure’ deliver its Levelling-Up agenda and what it meant for the UK’s cultural sector.

The motion put forward by Coun Parekh argued that ‘too many places across the country have had nothing but crumbs’, with Yorkshire and the Humber’s share of the funding decreasing by 5.3 per cent.

He added: “If Sheffield’s cultural industry is neglected for support, but London or Manchester’s isn’t, then that’s evidence of the Government’s failure to genuinely ‘level up’.

“I want to see support for local arts and culture at the heart of the Government’s Levelling-Up mission.”

Seema Desai, chief operations officer at iwoca, said: “SMEs are a crucial part of life in the UK’s

regions, and they need accessible finance to support their growth.”