Gaming firms could be lured to Enfield in a bid to boost economic growth by tapping into London’s multi-billion pound creative economy.

A bid to make the borough into a hub for the games industry – which now makes more money than Hollywood – could form part of a culture strategy being drawn up by the council.

The plan was mooted by new deputy leader Cllr Ian Barnes, who has a background in the entertainment sector, at a meeting of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on Wednesday (May 22).

Cllr Barnes said: “Gaming companies are leaving central London and going to Guildford. Why are they going there and not to Enfield?

“I want to find out whether we can offer something that will attract the companies.

“The creative industries are recession proof. My industry, television, sailed through the recession like nothing had happened.”

The value of London’s creative industries was estimated at £42 billion in 2015.

Cllr Barnes said the strategy would look at broadening access to culture so people from more disadvantaged backgrounds could benefit from what the borough has to offer.

He said: “It is a wildly ambitious strategy, but I think we should be really bold and radical with our aspirations.”

His comments came as he and council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan set out the cabinet’s main priorities for the year ahead.

Cllr Caliskan said the council would focus on boosting growth in the borough’s town centres, including Enfield Town and Edmonton Green.

It will involve working with trading associations and small businesses to come up with a detailed plan about how the council can support them.

Cllr Caliskan added that the council would continue to improve its housing stock and look to identify “long-term provision for burial space”.

She said: “There is a really acute need for identifying adequate burial provision for different religious groups. We will need to build it out in our local plan.”

The council leader pledged to continue work on insourcing contracts and on measures to improve community safety – including funding extra police officers.

One area that was particularly well received by members of the OSC was a bid to make tackling poverty a priority.

Cllr Barnes said there were plans for a fully independent poverty and equality commission amid concerns over the rising number of children living in poverty in Enfield.

He said: “We could introduce free breakfasts for all the children in the borough. That is something we could build support for off the back of the commission.”

The deputy leader said he hoped the commission would come up with “an effective plan to make life on lower incomes better and extend opportunity”.