Fifteen bids have been shortlisted for the UK’s first Town of Culture – but the four North Staffordshire hopefuls have all missed out. Leek, Longton, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stafford all submitted entries for the landmark competition.The Government confirmed that it received 398 bids in total. Fifteen towns will now go on to compete for the inaugural UK Town of Culture 2028 title.The shortlisted towns are:Small towns: Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane, and Stockton Town Centre WardMedium towns: Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd, and Port TalbotLarge towns: Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby and RotherhamEach will receive £60,000 to develop their full bids, which will be assessed by the independent judging panel. One finalist will then be selected from each category with the overall winner being announced early next year.The UK Town of Culture competition is part of the government’s ambition to restore pride in local areas in every part of Britain and deliver a decade of national renewal, following the announcement of the Pride in Place Programme last year. Throughout this year, this competition – together with the UK City of Culture 2029 competition – will continue to shine a light on local visions and voices from across the UK to help encourage increased local investment, create a lasting sense of pride, and open doors to the arts and culture for everyone.Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I want to say a massive congratulations to the fifteen shortlisted towns and I wish them luck in the next round of the competition. The fact that we received so many applications just goes to show how proud people are of their towns. When I launched this competition, I wanted to shine a light on our amazing towns all across the UK and the huge contribution they make to our national life.”I am so glad that so many towns have applied and I hope each and every town, whether they have been shortlisted or not, is incredibly proud of the work they have done to champion their local community.” The shortlisted towns were recommended by the independent panel chaired by Sir Phil Redmond.The other members of the panel were selected to ensure a broad range of cultural experience and regional diversity. The panel members are:Ruth Hollis OBE (Deputy Chair)Ian Bancroft (Wales Representative)Kristel Miller (Northern Ireland Representative)Jim Tough (Scotland Representative)Ian Warren (England Representative)Chair of the independent panel, Sir Phil Redmond, said: “The response to the competition has been, to say the least, overwhelming, quite literally from all four corners of the UK. It has been fantastic that nearly 400 towns have come forward, sharing their sense of pride, ambition and desire to demonstrate how much they have, and continue to contribute to our national story.”That of course has made making the decision on the shortlist itself much more difficult, never mind the actual winners. I look forward to visiting those towns that have made the list and I am sure that, just like City of Culture, those that didn’t manage it will have found the experience of taking part worthwhile in strengthening partnerships, raising awareness and reminding us all of the depth and spread of the UK’s cultural landscape. I’d like to thank them all for that.”
Blow as North Staffordshire bids miss out on UK Town of Culture shortlist
