MPs call for UK City of Culture bid U-turn

MPs and Lords are calling on Lancashire County Council (LCC) to resurrect its bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.

LCC scrapped its attempt to become the first county to clinch the coveted title last month saying the £22m needed to back it was "too great a financial risk".

Lancashire's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) said that "relatively small investment" could return £300m.

The council is due to meet on Thursday ahead of Monday's bidding deadline.

The decision to scrap the bid angered those who worked on the project for two years as well as opposition politicians and art organisations. pg

Tony Attard, chair of the Lancashire 2025 bid, said the cost of underwriting the bid "should be nearer £4m"and the council had "made a mistake".

Lancashire's APPG also wants the bid to be revived, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The cross-party group's chairman, Morecambe and Lunesdale MP David Morris, said the bid would be "the boost our communities need after the pandemic".

"The bid offers the chance to win substantial economic returns for the county - as high as £300m - for what is a relatively small investment.

"Even if we are unsuccessful, the whole process will have helped build unity across the county and further strengthen our cultural ties," he said.

He added that it was "too late to pull back" after the council already committed £620,000 to the bid.

LCC said scrapping the bid was the "right decision" for the local authority.

Councillor Alan Vincent, cabinet member for finance, said he knew it was "disappointing" for those who had worked so hard on the project but the decision to pull out was made "based on current cost and risk arrangements".