Suffolk County Council has launched a major bid to establish a dedicated film office to promote the county as a great location for film and TV production.

The bid is being put out to tender, with applications welcomed from established bodies, new start-ups, individuals or small groups – the real must-have is screen industry experience.

The aims of the new office will include networking and building on the existing community of screen industry professionals based in the county, nurturing a cohesive production culture and attracting the screen industries to generate growth and inward investment.

Also high on the list of priorities is to establish film-friendly licensing and permissions across Suffolk”s local authorities that are efficient and effective, with measures in place to ensure residents and businesses can support screen production in Suffolk.

The Knowledge spoke to Jayne Knight of Suffolk County Council about the tenders, as she stressed the long-term commitment to the new body which, although funded by local authorities, will operate as an independent organisation outside the local council.

Knight said: “We don”t want to hear from people who just want a job. We want to hear from lively, entrepreneurial people. There is potential here for a start-up company. Times are tough, but we are really committed to this long-term – we”re going to make it fly.

“We have seen various models around the country and, although there are some fantastic film offices and brilliant individuals doing a great job, we want this to be its own business, led by great people from the screen industries and unfettered by bureaucracy.”

Suffolk has hosted several TV projects recently, including Springwatch and Detectorists, and Knight, who will be part of a steering committee to help get the project off the ground, hopes the area”s profile will be raised significantly in the future: “We”ve seen a creative hub growing. We have a cluster of companies already based around Bentwaters Parks [a 2,500 acre production space] which is a great location – it has an airfield, so you can land planes there, and it can double up for so many different locations.”

The contract period is August 2016-July 2018, with bids of up to £164,000 welcome. For full details, click here; the deadline for bids is 15 July 2016.

As Knight puts it: “We”d be delighted to have an independent film office. Because we”re starting from scratch, we can do it in a contemporary way.”