Wrexham loses out in City of Culture bid
Newly anointed as a city for the Platinum Jubilee, the campaign to be crowned UK City of Culture 2025 was defeated by Bradford.
Wrexham had made a four-location shortlist, along with the victor, County Durham and Southampton. In all, 20 bids were made for the title.
Bradford will now receive £275,000 in initial seed funding to develop plans for 2025. Each of the runners-up will receive a grant of £125,000 to support the bidding team in taking forward some elements of their respective bids.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries said: “There was stiff competition and I thank County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough for their excellent bids.
“Coventry has shown us how powerful the UK City of Culture title is at boosting investment, attracting visitors and leaving a lasting legacy for local people.”
Sir Phil Redmond, chair of the independent panel advising Dorries, said: “The selection is never about whether one bid is better than another, it is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact.
“For 2021 we asked Coventry to raise the bar previously set by Derry-Londonderry 2013 and then raised by Hull 2017. Challenged by the pandemic, Coventry have certainly done that and I am looking forward to seeing how far the cultural bar can be raised in BD25.”
The region had five bidders in total: Lancashire, Bangor & North West Wales, Conwy County, Borderlands (including Carlisle), and Wrexham.
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