Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to appoint a dedicated Minister for the Night-Time Economy, arguing the sector deserves the same government recognition recently handed to artificial intelligence.
The call comes a day after the Prime Minister gave AI its own place at the Cabinet table, naming the country’s first cabinet-level AI minister. Parker says the night-time economy has earned similar status, pointing to figures showing it supports around 324,000 jobs across the West Midlands, close to one in four of the region’s workforce, with roughly 100,000 of those jobs sitting directly within nightlife itself, spanning pubs, restaurants, grassroots music venues, theatres and cinemas.
Parker is calling for the new role to sit within the expanded Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, led by Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds. He argues Burnham is well placed to understand the ask, having championed the sector during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, where he set up a Night-Time Economy Commissioner role.
“Andy Burnham understands the night-time economy,” Parker said. “He championed it in Greater Manchester with a Night-Time Economy Commissioner, so he knows what it means to a place and the people who live there. He’s previously called for support and relief for the industry, so he gets it. Yesterday he gave AI a minister. I’m asking him to do the same for the night-time economy.”
The mayor framed the ask in cultural as well as economic terms, describing nightlife as “the cultural life blood” of towns and cities across the region. “This is one in four jobs across our region,” he said. “But more than that, it’s the cultural life blood of our places. It gives people somewhere to go, something to do, places to meet. The industry has taken a battering from Covid, rising costs and business rates. They need someone in government whose job is to fight their corner.”
The intervention builds on work already under way locally. The West Midlands Night-Time Economy Commission, established by Parker last autumn, published its findings in May with 25 recommendations aimed at reviving the sector. Among them was a call for a national champion within government to join up policy across tax, licensing and transport, alongside calls for later buses and trains, safer streets and stronger backing for grassroots venues.
“We’re getting on with our part here in the West Midlands, we’ve got a plan to address the challenges locally,” Parker said. “But a minister in Government would pull the national picture together, so the whole country works to the same plan. We need to look out for the thousands of people who make their living after dark, giving our places the vibrance we all love.”
The call also lands against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the sector nationally. A recent poll found that two-thirds of young voters say political support for the night-time economy will directly influence how they vote in upcoming elections, with affordability concerns driving voter attitudes as rising living costs squeeze disposable income for nights out.
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In this article: Andy Burnham, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Jonathan Reynolds, COVID-19 pandemic. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
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