The Chancellor will be asked to announce whether Government will provide £15 million in funding for Bradford’s City of Culture year in Wednesday’s Spring Budget.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has written to Jeremy Hunt detailing what she would like to see in the budget, including support for the City of Culture bid and more regular trains between Bradford and London.
Bradford Council has already provided £10m towards the yearlong celebration, which is expected to cost around £40m.
Previous Cities of Culture have been awarded Government cash, with the most recent City of Culture, Coventry, awarded over £18m.
The letter to Government asks for more clarity on whether Bradford will be getting funding. It says: “Investment in culture would enable our significant cultural assets and significant sectoral strengths to continue to grow and prosper, maximising the economic benefit of the major events taking place across the region including Bradford 2025.
“We ask that Department of Culture, Media and Sport provide feedback and positive immediate determination relating to the proposal for £15m towards Bradford City of Culture, so that planning can continue with confidence.”
She has also called for rail bosses to increase services to Bradford in time for City of Culture.
Her letter adds: “We look forward to continuing to work with Government to see approval of the works necessary to enable two-hourly services between Bradford and London in time for UK City of Culture in 2025.”
Referring to the call for funding, Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “City of Culture will mean a significant level of investment in the Bradford District with almost 7,000 new jobs created and a likely visitor spend of around £700m.
“The council’s investment, which was supported across political parties, makes it more likely that we will be able to attract significant funds from other public agencies and private investors including Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and sponsors.
“We are pitching to DCMS and to West Yorkshire Combined Authority for a substantial investment in the City of Culture programme from each of them, befitting Bradford’s national flagship status during 2025. The final amounts are still under negotiation.”
On the issue of the increased rail service, Cllr Hinchcliffe added: “We’ve been making representations to successive transport ministers for improvements on our train services for local services and for national services.
“With 2025 round the corner, we need Government to act now to make sure good transport links are ready for the many thousands of people who will want to visit from across the country during our year. I’ve made strong representations to Rail Minister Huw Merriman and Network Rail on this issue.”
