Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has met local councils to discuss making empty buildings available for use by digital start-ups.

DCMS awarded Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield councils over £11m of grant funding in March 2016 to refurbish existing buildings to establish and develop new work space, business incubation and other services for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) based in the North of England whose ambitions and business models rely on digital technologies and their applications. My officials regularly meet with their counterparts to discuss progress with these projects.

The Government encourages Local Authorities to think creatively about actions they can take to contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of our town centres. Specifically, local authorities can act as a focal point for economic regeneration efforts in local areas, including making better use of the public sector estate to provide a place for business incubators.