Leeds makes Channel 4 national HQ shortlist while Sheffield misses out

Leeds has made it onto the narrowed-down shortlist to become the home of Channel 4’s national headquarters.

The broadcaster has reduced its shortlist of seven locations to just three. Leeds, along with Birmingham and Greater Manchester, have made it onto the final shortlist.

The decision means Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Coventry, which had been pushed as an option within the initial West Midlands bid, will no longer be considered for the national HQ.

Sheffield has been cut from the list of potential locations to host a creative hub. Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow remain on a shortlist of three to be chosen.
Roger Marsh, chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said: “Channel 4’s decision to include us on its shortlist for its new national headquarters demonstrates the strength of the case we have made.

“This is an exciting step forward for our bid, Channel 4’s analysis has shown we are a good choice and it is now up to us to show we are the right choice for the broadcaster. We will continue to work with all our partners to secure the tremendous prize on offer and we look forward to engaging further with Channel 4 in the weeks ahead.

“I believe firmly that Channel 4 and Leeds City Region share the same ambitions, to celebrate our diversity, nurture creative talent and pioneer new technologies, making us ideal partners.”

Meanwhile, the Sheffield team said it was ready to fulfil its broadcasting dreams despite the decision to cut the city from the proposals. The team said it could deliver a National Screen Institute to fulfil its filmmaking aspirations.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, of Sheffield City Council, said: “We produced a brilliant bid for Channel 4 and we know that it has given the city a big boost to be considered as a new home for the broadcaster.

“We are absolutely determined that this is just the start in fulfilling our ambitions to build a world-leading digital and creative industry. We have so many pieces already in place from grass roots film-makers and digital journalists to established operators with a global reach like Warp Films.

“We have two award-winning universities turning out the film-makers and journalists of the future as well as the UTC and Sheffield College who played such an important part in our bid.”

John Mothersole, chief executive of Sheffield City Council, said: “We are naturally disappointed after pulling together such a strong bid which brought the city together. The message is clear – we are a city that can shout about its many strengths and be a force to reckon with.

“The feedback from the broadcaster was clear – we excelled and our people excelled, and my thanks go to everyone who got us to this stage. Channel 4 has committed to work with Sheffield in the future.”

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, said: “We have again had to take some very difficult decisions on which cities to take forward to the next stage, but we believe the six cities we have selected are best able to deliver against our vision and requirements for the new National HQ and Creative Hubs.”

James Hall, partner at planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore, welcomed Leeds’ shortlisting, stating: “As Barton Willmore’s analysis has shown, Leeds is one of the best equipped cities to host Channel 4’s headquarters thanks to workforce suitability, housing affordability, creative industry provision and university links.

“The base could bring millions of pounds in gross value added to the West Yorkshire economy and hundreds of jobs. It would act as a catalyst for growth in the already thriving film and TV cluster – with knock-on benefits to the wider regional economy, particularly when it comes to retaining graduates.”

The broadcaster is moving around 300 jobs out of London to a main hub and two smaller creative hubs as part of its Nations and Regions strategy, although its London HQ will remain its dominant site.

Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is the natural choice for Channel 4. Our unrivalled connectivity, the diverse and young nature of our population and the strength of our creative and digital economy mean we have a really compelling case.”

Liverpool’s Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted his disappointment about the city missing out. The disappointment was keenly felt because of the city’s identity as a creative and media hub and its longstanding relationship with Channel 4 through soap operas Brookside and Hollyoaks.

Sorry to announce Liverpool has not been shortlisted for C4 relocation or Hub. A huge thank you everyone who supported the bid👏 sad to be told a big problem was Liverpool not being connected transport wise. Exactly why not getting HS2 link is wrong😡and shortsighted.

— Joe Anderson (@joeando58) July 23, 2018

Channel 4 has previously said it will select the final locations in October.

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.