Lancashire 'forced to pull out' of bid for City of Culture just days before submission

Officials have officially confirmed Lancashire will not be submitting a bid for City of Culture 2025.

Tony Attard, Chair of Lancashire 2025, said they'd been 'forced' to withdraw their application weeks before they were due to submit it because they've lost the backing of the County Council.

In a statement Tony said: “It is with deep and great sadness that I have to announce that Lancashire will not be submitting a bid for UK City of Culture 2025. Unfortunately, the new administration at Lancashire County Council has now taken the unilateral decision to withdraw their support for the bid, and without them acting as the accountable body the bid is simply untenable.

The idea for Lancashire to become City of Culture 2025 is one that has matured over a four-year period and included councillors and officers from LCC and the district and unitary authorities as well as the LEP.

"A significant amount of work has been undertaken by the many people involved, including talented people from the private sector. We have undertaken research and liaison with DCMS at a very high level, to create a compelling, innovative and original bid.

Bidding for City of Culture is a competitive process because the rewards for winning are so significant. Lancashire has five of the most deprived areas in the UK within its boundaries, and we have been hit harder than most places by Covid 19, the people of Lancashire should not be denied these rewards.

"We had a very strong chance to win this prestigious title, we have put in the work and created the partnerships that put us ahead of the competition. That we are being forced to pull out now, just three weeks before we were due to submit our formal expression of interest is devastating.”