DCMS lays out schedule for UK City of Culture 2021

The competition for cities to be named UK City of Culture 2021 has been launched by Culture Minister Matt Hancock. The announcement was made yesterday at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, the current holder of the UK City of Culture title.

The designation City of Culture 2021 will be awarded to the city that makes the most convincing case for its ability to use culture as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration, and raise the profile of arts and creativity locally and across the country. The competition also aims to encourage cities to broaden their arts and cultural infrastructure, leading to increased business investment and tourism.

Hull is only the second UK City of Culture, following Derry / Londonderry, which was the first UK City of Culture in 2013.

Benefits

Hull estimates that having the title will give its economy a £60m boost this year alone. It has seen £1bn of investment since winning the title in 2013, including industrial giant Siemens’ recent confirmation of a £160m investment in wind turbine production and installation facilities.

Hancock urged local authorities and partnerships across the whole UK to consider entering the competition, saying he hopes to “see plenty of ambitious, exciting and innovative bids for 2021”.

Those interested in submitting bids for the title must register with the DCMS by the end of February. A shortlist will be announced in the summer, before the winning city is announced in Hull in December, in the closing stages of Hull’s year.

Early contenders

Coventry and Sunderland have already thrown their hats into the ring, formally announcing their intentions to bid.

Coventry would be “transformed by a successful bid to be UK City of Culture” and is “ready to meet the challenge head on,” according to the team behind the bid.

“We know exactly what we want City of Culture to achieve,” said David Burbidge, Chair of the City of Culture Trust. “Coventry doesn’t only want to be City of Culture in 2021 – it very much needs this opportunity to help to tackle some of the inequalities that remain and to turn round the city’s visitor economy.

“It would bring so many benefits to the city and the West Midlands. Places like Glasgow, Manchester, Hull and Liverpool have shown how perceptions of the north can be changed. The time is right for the Midlands to stand up and deliver.”

In Sunderland, the University of Sunderland, the city council and Sunderland Music Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust have formed Sunderland Culture to manage the bid. The team hopes the process will “put the city firmly into the cultural spotlight, attracting millions of pounds into the local economy through investment in the arts and an increase in visitors and jobs”.

Increasing pride

Councillor Daren Hale, Deputy Leader of Hull City Council, encouraged other councils to consider bidding to be the next UK City of Culture. He said: “For Hull, bidding and hosting UK City of Culture is part of a long-term plan to harness our city’s wonderful heritage and culture to change perceptions of the city, attract investment and create much-needed jobs for local people.

“Whilst culture and the arts are just one part of the jigsaw, we are already seeing huge benefits… Winning UK City of Culture has generated an enormous sense of local pride among local people and a renewed sense of confidence and self-belief in what the city can achieve. This started during the bidding process.”