UK City of Culture 2025: Bradford to spend £1.4m on bid

Bradford Council will spend £1.4m over the next three years to promote its bid to be named UK Capital of Culture.

The West Yorkshire city announced it would be bidding as a district for the 2025 title in July.

At a meeting of the council's executive next week, members will be asked to allocate up to £1,435,000 for the bid.

They will also be told how, if successful, the title could bring in a boost for the area's museums and increase tourist spending.

The bid will be officially launched later this month, and recruitment is underway to appoint a bid director.

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A City of Culture Trust is being created to run the bid for a year, and Chief Executive of Bradford Community Broadcasting, Mary Dowson BEM, has agreed to initially chair the trust.

The bid is being led by a team including the University of Bradford, Bradford College and live arts company the Brick Box, as well as other organisations, the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Bradford will compete against a number of other cities and regions, including Tees Valley, Luton, Medway, Lancashire and Southampton.

The winning bid is due to be announced in December 2021.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said: "It would be absolutely marvellous for Bradford if the bid were successful - it would benefit every corner of the district."

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