County MPs urge council to back culture bid

The Lancashire All Party Parliamentary Group has written to the county council asking it to reconsider its decision to pull the plug on its bid to become the City of Culture in 2025.

A team, led by Tony Attard, was ready to submit its ambitious bid this month before Lancashire County Council made the shock decision to withdraw its support, citing the costs of hosting such a programme.

At the most recent meeting of the APPG, which features Lancashire’s MPs and members of the House of Lords, Rachel McQueen, the chief executive of Marketing Lancashire, presented on the City of Culture and gave the findings of research undertaken by the House of Common’s Library.

David Morris MP, chair of the APPG, said: "We believe the bid offers the chance to win substantial economic returns for the county and further develop our cultural offer. For what is a relatively small investment, we believe returns can be as high as £300m. Even if we are unsuccessful, the whole process will have helped build unity across the county and further strengthen our cultural ties.

"I commissioned the House of Commons Library to produce a Research Note on this issue and it clearly shows that no final decision has been made by Lancashire County Council and that previously successful localities have gained significantly from becoming a City of Culture. We realise there has been some doubts about the value of the bidding process, and I can understand that, but on balance, we are of the view that Lancashire is better off trying to win this important initiative than not.

"Lancashire County Council are right to watch every penny they spend, that is good governance, but the bid is already well underway, and they have already committed £620,000 to the initiative so in many ways, it’s too late to pull back. We also think our county is well placed to have a successful bid, and this could be exactly the sort of boost our communities need after the pandemic. It’s a really great chance to bring everyone together and celebrate what’s best about our County."

• For further Lancashire business news, advice and analysis subscribe to Lancashire Business View or join the LBV Hub from just £2.50 per month. Click here to subscribe now.