DORSET Council has made more than £70,000 from film and television productions in the county over the past three years.
The council says it is ‘film friendly’ and is happy to work with responsible companies which want to shoot in the county.
High-profile films such as Wonka and Jane Austin's Persuasion for Netflix have been recorded, in part, in Dorset since 2020, along with TV shows such as The Perfect Pitch, Countryfile, A League of Their Own and Coastal Walks with Kate Humble to name a few.
The council can only process requests to film on land or assets that belong to Dorset Council and productions over the last 12 months have raked in £42,435.39, a Freedom of Information (FOI) by the Dorset Echo has revealed.
The FOI showed during the previous 12 month period, March 2020-2021, only £991.66 was earned from film and TV companies shooting in Dorset. This period covered the national lockdown and Covid restrictions.
This contrasts with £27,983.33 the council made in 2019-2020.
Councillor Gary Suttle, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance, Commercial and Capital Strategy, said: “Dorset Council is keen to support the creative industries with a film-friendly environment and welcomes requests from production companies seeking to film in the area.
“We encourage film and high-end TV productions to consider Dorset because we recognise the benefits these projects can bring the wider economy, by boosting tourism and hospitality, generating income for local people and businesses.”
Cllr Suttle said that money generated from film and television productions is used to off-set other costs involved with hosting such companies.
He added: “Income generated by filming carried out on council-owned properties fluctuates yearly, triggered by the start of high-budget films.
“The income helps to off-set officer time spent assisting location managers and productions, and it is also used to recover other costs (eg. lost income from parking or use of equipment).
“Any surplus is used to support our other services to help make the filming sustainable.”
Dorset Council says it seeks to work with production companies that are responsible and respect the county.
Cllr Suttle added: “As a film-friendly council we seek to work with responsible production companies who recognise our role in protecting Dorset’s unique environment and support our ambitions to make Dorset a great place to live, work and visit.”
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