Lancashire's culture bid fails
Last updated 11th Oct 2021
Lancashire has fallen at the first hurdle in its bid to be crowned UK City of Culture 2025.
The county signalled its intention to make what was then a unique pitch for the accolade almost three years ago, since when the competition has evolved to actively encourage title attempts from groups of towns and sub-regions.
By the time of the deadline for expressions of interest back in July, a record 20 bids had been received.
The Department for Culture of Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a long list of those areas that will progress to the next stage of the process – but Lancashire does not appear on it.
However, the man who led the county’s efforts to secure the crown says that they have “already left a legacy” for arts and culture in Lancashire, which can be built upon even though the coveted title is now out of reach.
Tony Attard, Chair of Lancashire 2025 and Marketing Lancashire said: “We are naturally disappointed at not making it to the final stage, but to have got the bid this far is testament to the hard work and vision of all those involved.
“The process of bidding has brought regional and national media attention to the county – and we intend to build on that profile.
“We are so grateful to all the stakeholders that have supported us on this journey. The connections made will not go to waste and the enthusiasm harnessed will bring other opportunities moving forward.
“Lancashire is a richly diverse community and deserves recognition to promote its amazing array of arts and culture. We have new partnerships in place to increase collaboration and drive greater engagement, and we have an online community platform ready to launch to help take the conversation forwards.
“This is the beginning, not the end. We have begun a significant journey and now we need to see where that takes us,” Mr. Attard added.
Lancashire’s bid was based on the concept of a “virtual city” of the future. It would have seen the county split into four areas reflecting the “cultural personalities” of the area, as well as a unified view of Lancashire as a whole.
However, in spite of being years in the making, the project was almost derailed at the eleventh hour after Lancashire County Council withdrew the financial support that would have been required had the county come out on top in the competition.
The authority had already put £770,000 into preparation of the bid, but declared in June that the bill for delivering a year-long programme of events would have been too big for it to bear in the event that other anticipated funding did not materialise.
With hours to spare before expressions of interest had to be submitted, it emerged that Preston City Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council had pledged their backing for the bid – which was also supported by the University of Central Lancashire and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.
Preston City Council leader Matthew Brown said at the time that a successful pitch would have provided the city with a high-profile platform to refocus its offering to visitors.
Responding to the news that Lancashire has lost out, he said he was disappointed that the county’s “innovative” bid would not be progressing any further.
“It demonstrated our longstanding commitment and ambition for culture and the growth of creativity in the city and region. We believe it set a marker in the ground for a partnership approach to progressing this incredibly important agenda.
“As an authority we are resilient and we’ll continue to work with partners to ensure culture has a rich and diverse future in Preston for everyone to enjoy and benefit from,” Cllr Brown said.
Tony Attard added that he believed Lancashire’s bid had been instrumental in encouraging the DCMS to broaden the range of areas that could enter the competition.
A short list of bidders will be drawn up early next year, with the winner expected to be announced next May.