Local communities set to benefit from Liverpool’s booming film industry

Liverpool Film Office has launched the Film Friendly Neighbourhoods scheme which is helping to give back to the local communities in which filming takes place.

As the UK’s most filmed city outside of London, Liverpool Film Office has launched the Film Friendly Neighbourhoods scheme, which means that productions which film in residential areas are encouraged to give something back to that community – enhancing community engagement, improving transparency, and maximising economic and social returns for the areas where filming takes place.

Any funding is to be invested in local good causes or pooled into a central pot of money which can be used to fund significant improvements to a particular area.

The first area to benefit is Falkner Square, where productions such as Peaky Blinders, Outlander, Tin Star and many others have all filmed. 

Each production has donated funding towards improving the area, and following communing engagement with Cllr Nathalie Nicholas and the Film Office an accessible chess table has been installed along with new signage, bins and a community noticeboard.

The Film Office has been developing the project for a number of years, and to date nearly £130,000 has been donated to charity or invested in good causes across Liverpool City Region.

Some donations for areas can be pooled together with other funding sources – for example, Section 106 monies and/or the Local Neighbourhood Fund – to invest in larger projects which benefit the community.  Falkner Square is one of these examples, and combining the Film Friendly Neighbourhoods money, Section 106 and Local Neighbourhood Fund that has facilitated lighting improvements, fence repainting, drainage and new paving in the area.

If financial funding isn’t an option, productions will be asked to undertake ‘in kind’ activity for residents, schools or community groups such as talks and sessions about types of roles available in the film and TV industry.

The City Council already has an existing Filming Code of Practice which sets out guidelines to ensure film and TV activity in public realm and the highway is conducted in a responsible and professional manner while minimising its impact on residents and local businesses.  Once rolled out, Film Friendly Neighbourhoods will be embedded into the document as an example of best practice.

In 2024/25, 263 productions were filmed across Liverpool City Region, there were 1,254 filming days brining in £34.8million economic impact and supporting 1,129 direct and indirect jobs. 

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:

“Liverpool’s screen industry is a huge asset to our city—not just economically, but culturally and socially. With the Film Friendly Neighbourhoods initiative, we’re making sure that the benefits of this booming sector are felt directly by the communities who host these productions. 

“Whether it’s through funding for local improvements, educational opportunities for young people, or simply better communication and engagement – this is about creating a fairer, more inclusive model for how filming takes place in our city. We want residents to feel proud that their neighbourhoods are part of Liverpool’s global screen success—and to see real, lasting value from it.”

Find out more about Liverpool Film Office by visiting the official website.

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