Culture capital rollout

Every UK City will have the chance to win a British City of Culture Prize from 2011, according to Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham. The idea came from Phil Redmond, Deputy Chair of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, who has been invited by Burnham to chair a panel to assess the feasibility of the scheme and to consider ways in which it might complement the Cultural Olympiad. The prize would include the right to stage national artistic events such as the Turner Prize and the Brit Awards, and would oblige the recipient city to develop a vision “to inspire its citizens and transform its prospects”.

Exceeding all expectations

The proposal comes as Liverpool’s events came to a close, with organisers claiming 3.5m new visitors to the city and vast increases in the numbers visiting its attractions. Figures reveal that 2,668,000 people visited National Museums Liverpool during 2008, a rise of 33%, while attendance also rose at Tate Liverpool (68%), the Philharmonic Hall (24%) and the Everyman and Playhouse (22%). Burnham, who was born in Liverpool, congratulated the Liverpool Culture Company, saying that the official Government verdict was that “Liverpool has risen to the challenge, exceeded all expectations. In short, it has taken the European stage and done this country proud.” The Chair of the European Capital of Culture judging panel, Sir Jeremy Isaacs, and Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, also heaped praise on the city. Barroso said, “It’s turning out to be one of the most successful Capital of Culture programmes that we have ever had. We are now trying to create a network of European Capitals of Culture to build on Liverpool’s experience.”

Burnham, whose remarks came in a speech given at the University of Liverpool on 7 January, laid particular emphasis on the Government’s increasingly explicit support of culture and creativity as a force for economic and social regeneration, citing examples of culturally vibrant towns and cities such as Hay-on-Wye, Folkestone, Brighton and Manchester. He acknowledged that “lessons about the power of regeneration led by culture emerged from Glasgow’s year as European Capital of Culture [1990]. But, back then, they were not widely embraced”, and also asserted that “culture and creativity are part of the answer to tough economic times”. He pointed to the importance of culture in regenerating not just the economy but also “belief, hope and human spirit”, and said that Britain should develop “the ability of culture to contribute to the delivery of world-class public services – most particularly education and health”.

A warm welcome

Plans for a British City of Culture Prize were welcomed by Lorna Brown, Chair of nalgao, the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers, who described the move to establish the Prize “bold, imaginative and welcome”. Roy Clare, Chief Executive of the MLA (Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) said that “culture and creativity alongside sport are a vital part of tourism, renewal and regeneration”, and added that the MLA “will want to see that all cities that develop bids benefit from the process, not just the winning city”.

The Leeds City Varieties Music Hallis celebrating a £2.7m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which will enable the building to be restored and create a home for a music hall archive. The Grade II* listed building is one of only four Victorian music halls remaining in the UK. The archive will house leaflets, handbills, posters and photos from artists such Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini, who have appeared there. The HLF also announced that the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has been granted a ‘first round pass’, approving its outline plans and allowing it to progress to the next stage of the funding process, before receiving a final decision from the Fund. It has put forward development plans for the redisplay and reinterpretation of its Birmingham History Collections, which date from 1500 to the present day.