THE ecstatic scenes in City Park on Tuesday evening, as cheering crowds leapt in the air and wept tears of joy, said it all - Bradford’s time has finally come.
Being crowned UK City of Culture 2025 will showcase the district like never before.
But what will the prestigious title actually mean for Bradford?
Tweeting his congratulations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it will bring “investment and opportunity for everyone who lives and works there.”
The district is expected to benefit from nearly 7,000 new jobs and visitor spend of around £700m.
As well as the title, the DCMS awarded £275,000 to Bradford for a year of cultural activities which, says the bid team, will unlock millions of rolling private sector investment for years to come.
City of Culture 2025 will make the district a destination to visit for a year-long programme of arts and culture.
And by the year 2030, the legacy of City of Culture is predicted to be: Nearly 7,000 new jobs; more than 16m visitors; visitor spend of £689m; Total Gross Value Added (GVA) of £365m; total return on Bradford Council investment of £26 to £1.
Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Being UK City of Culture brings so many opportunities for people not only in terms of creativity and culture, but also for employment, attracting inward investment, boosting the local economy and opening up opportunities for young people to enhance their skills.
“We have already seen significant return on our investment on the bid alone - generating nearly five times in revenue against what we invested since 2019. We now expect to see this kind of support and return on our investment accelerate significantly, with an expected £26 generated for every £1 we put in.”
The DCMS expects all places competing to be City of Culture to plan for the legacy and outline details as part of the bidding process. Full legacy investment for the district of £7m from 2025 onwards is required to realise levelling up gains of a successful bid and it is expected this will come from external agencies and partners, alongside the council’s own funding.
Ahead of 2025, Bradford is expected to roll out a programme building on the success, energy and social engagement of its bid.
While the Bradford 2025 team isn’t giving anything away just yet, it has revealed that the landmark year is set to deliver more than 1,000 new performances and events, including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals and “exciting national and international collaborations”.
These events, say the team, will be themed around “the unique heritage and character of Bradford and will reveal the magic of the district that is held in its people, its ambition, and above all, its potential”.
Bradford beat County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough to the UK City of Culture title. With a quarter of Bradford’s population under 18, youth engagement has been a significant part of the bid, and will continue to be at the heart of its City of Culture campaign over the next four years.
The Bradford 2025 team tweeted: “This is our time to celebrate our extraordinary district - and for our young population to become leaders and change-makers to begin an exciting new chapter in our story.”
Beckie Hart, Confederation of British Industry Yorkshire & Humber Director, said it’s a chance to “showcase Bradford’s creativity and artistry, attract fresh inward investment and deliver new jobs and opportunities.”
Bradford’s City of Culture status means it is now eligible for a £3 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to prepare for its cultural year. Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has funded large-scale projects at City of Culture holders Hull and Coventry, said: “We have witnessed firsthand the transformational effects this title can bring, creating a deeper sense of place, pride and identity. We look forward to the exciting opportunities it will bring to Bradford now and into the future.”
The next step for Bradford is to launch a 2025 recruitment drive to appoint a creative director and managing director to lead delivery of the bid. Recruitment of a wider delivery team will follow.
The City of Culture win will create a legacy that could last up to a decade, says the University of Bradford’s Professor Marcus Rattray. The university helped inform Bradford’s bid, with research into economic forecasts, cultural impact and the positive social, health and wellbeing effects of becoming City of Culture.
Said Prof Rattray: “As we move from bidding process to delivery, the University remains central, with the impact of our year as City of Culture being revealed over the next 10 years at least. Part of our remit will be to evaluate the longterm impact of the bid; we know from the precedent set by Liverpool that some of those benefits take a while to come through, so we need to be there for the long haul.
"We will be convening a Research and Evaluation partnership. We will be working with partners that include Born in Bradford and the Centre for Cultural Value. The University has particular interest in promoting small business growth, understanding the health and social benefits of the (title) year.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “Being named UK City of Culture is life-enhancing, creating happier lives for residents and visitors. Creativity is all about telling stories and this title unlocks a whole new narrative for a city. We saw it in Hull, we’ve seen it again in Coventry.”
Ruth Hollis is Chief Executive of Spirit of 2012 which supports the UK City of Culture Programme and invested in Hull and Coventry: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that major events like this have the power to transform people and places, building community pride, inspiring volunteering and creating opportunities for everyone to take part.”
The announcement of Bradford’s win came in Coventry - UK City of Culture 2021. Since winning the title, says the DCMS, Coventry has seen more than £172 million invested in arts events and the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, and a further £500 million for the city’s regeneration. Coventry’s year-long cultural programme engaged an audience of over one million through more than 700 events and further community engagement saw the training of 1,515 City Hosts.
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive, Coventry City of Culture Trust said: “Congratulations to Bradford. This will be a truly remarkable time for your city. We look forward to supporting you as you prepare to celebrate all that is special about Bradford in 2025.”
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