Candidates back City of Culture bid

WHOEVER wins the race to be West Midlands mayor this week has pledged to back Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021.

All six candidates wrote to Culture Minister Matthew Hancock underlining their support for the bid which was submitted last week.

The successful city will be named this year and Coventry could attract more than £1 billion of investment if it emerges victorious.

In the letter to the MP, the candidates voiced their support, saying: “We are proud of the cultural heritage and assets we have across our region. A successful bid from Coventry as one of our constituent members will be powerful, not just for that city and Warwickshire, but for the entire region.”

David Burbidge, who is spearheading the bid, said: “Places such as Glasgow, Liverpool and Hull have seen huge regeneration as capitals of culture but the time is right for the Midlands to be centre stage and we believe our bid is best placed to delivery that benefit.

“The benefit of hosting in 2021 has been estimated at £80 million for tourism but the other benefits are about connecting our people and tackling inequality.

“Coventry would be the most diverse city to host the title and is perfectly placed to attract major audiences.

“We think our bid is extremely strong not only from a cultural point of view, but also in what it offers to the city and the region as a whole and to have that underlined by our most senior representatives is a very positive development.”