UK City of Culture win could bring £700m boost to Bradford

Winning the battle to be named UK City of Culture 2025 could bring an extra £700m into Bradford, the council says.

The city is competing with County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham, with an announcement expected within weeks.

The team behind Bradford's bid said clinching the title would bring huge investment, create 3,000 jobs and attract around 1.1m visitors.

Nic Greenan said: "The profile will be so huge that people will want to come back here again and again."

A different location is given the UK City of Culture title every four years, with Coventry having held the accolade since 2021.

Other previous winners include Derry-Londonderry in 2013 and Hull in 2017.

A report into the impact on Hull found culture status attracted more than five million people, resulted in £220m of investment and helped create 800 new jobs.

Bradford Council has projected it could see a £700m gross value added (GVA) uplift from 2025 to 2030, if chosen.

Ms Greenan, principal officer for cultural partnerships, said for the district and its people, that would mean "great opportunities of investment and regeneration".

"We have built up a picture of what that impact has done elsewhere," she said.

"Those places have really shown that when you put culture at the heart of your regeneration and your future, the way you talk about a place, and the way you invite people, it really shifts the focus, and culture becomes a real economic driver."

Several major developments are already under way in the city, including the creation of the new £23m Darley Street market and a revamp of the Underground Hall market in Shipley.

Traders there are hopeful are hopeful that winning the bid could turn the tide on a "difficult time".

Graham Preston, who opened Shipley Haberdashery and Crafts in 2014, said: "There's a general gloom in the air with rising costs and something like this could give us the feel good factor again."

"Any investment into an area we welcome and you've got to have that going on to encourage people back into the centres."

Fellow trader Peter Jacques said: "It will be great for Bradford and the surrounding areas once everyone gets on board with it.

"I've seen what it has done in Hull and for that region so it'd be fantastic achievement if we can get it here."

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