Government support for the ceramics industry

The ceramics industry in the UK is small, employing around 8,000 people down from 9,000 in 2009.

The industry contributed £550 million to economic output in 2014, up since 2012, but down slightly compared with output in 2009.

The number of businesses has fallen more significantly since 2009. There are currently 350 ceramic manufacturing businesses in the UK, down from 470 in 2009.

The ceramics industry is concentrated in the West Midlands, which includes Staffordshire and the Potteries.