Liverpool and Manchester make Channel 4 shortlist for new headquarters

Channel 4 has revealed the shortlist of cities it is considering relocating to as part of its plans to have more people based outside of London.

Seven areas have been shortlisted for the national headquarters or creative hub and they include Manchester and Liverpool.

Both cities have been campaigning hard to be included on the list.

Metro mayor Andy Burnham has backed the Manchester bid and TV producer Phil Redmond is leading the Liverpool campaign.

Mr Burnham said: “We are extremely pleased that Greater Manchester has been shortlisted for the chance to welcome Channel 4 to our city-region.

“Greater Manchester has the best devolution deal of any city-region and the unique strength of our creative, digital and media sectors sets us apart.

“As a former Culture Secretary I know what Channel 4 are looking for and we will make sure we build on our strengths as we finalise a formidable bid.

“We are a city of innovation and our creative businesses and employment are truly thriving which makes the Greater Manchester city-region the perfect home for Channel 4’s National HQ.”

Six other cities have been shortlisted for the creative hub – Belfast, Brighton, Newcastle-Gateshead, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent.

Although the so-called national headquarters will be secondary to Channel 4’s London HQ, cities from across the UK are keen to be chosen.

Channel 4 agreed to move 300 jobs out of London after sustained Government pressure. The roles will be based at a national HQ and two smaller hubs as part of the broadcaster’s Nations and Regions strategy.

Each of the shortlisted cities will participate in a second stage process – which will include Channel 4 visiting each city for a presentation and Q&A.

Following this, Channel 4 will engage in further discussions with cities and regions as necessary, before selecting the final locations in October 2018.

Channel 4’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jonathan Allan, who is leading the pitch process said: “We’ve been incredibly impressed both by the number of pitches we received and by the high quality of the submissions – which has underlined the huge amount of creativity, innovation and talent right across the UK.

“However we have to move to a shortlist phase and, after careful consideration by the Channel 4 Executive team, we’ve selected 13 cities that are best able to meet our vision for our new hubs in the Nations and Regions.

“We look forward to visiting all those on the shortlist as part of our second phase, but we will also be continuing to work with all cities and regions as part of our strategy to increase investment and support creative businesses, jobs and growth across the UK.”

It has said the national headquarters will be placed somewhere with a working population of more than 200,000 people, have a high level of physical and digital connectivity, and a travel time to London that is below three hours.

It has also highlighted five key considerations – demography and diversity, availability of talent, local connectivity, travel links to London and its creative hubs, and the suitability of available office space – that the successful bidder will perform strongly on.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said: “I’m delighted Channel 4 has recognised the strength and quality of our #4forLiverpool bid and has shortlisted the city for its new home. The bid has been a great team effort and I want to thank everyone who has supported the city to date.

“This is a hotly contested bidding competition and to reach this next stage in the process demonstrates Liverpool’s pulling power as a location that offers businesses and their employees a great work/life balance.

“There are exciting plans afoot to cement Liverpool’s position at the cutting edge of the creative sector and Channel 4 has a huge role to play in that story. Now that they are coming to visit, I’ve no doubt they will be wowed by what the city has to offer and how they can help shape it.”

Dan Mitchell, partner at design and planning consultancy Barton Willmore, said: “It is absolutely right that the creative and innovative centres in Greater Manchester and Liverpool have been shortlisted by Channel 4 for its new headquarters.

“For too long, the focus on London as a base has overshadowed other diverse and thriving cities with established, creative media industries, as well as fast connections to the capital and other major cities.

“The presence of a major broadcaster would further elevate the North West’s status as a media hub, building on Salford’s success and the economic boost that it has created, while giving the region the profile it deserves.”