Mayors back city’s bid for culture title
Accolade for Bradford ‘would be boost for the entire North’ say region’s leaders
BRADFORD’S UK City of Culture bid has been given a major boost after winning the support of high-profile Northern mayors outside West Yorkshire.
In addition to South Yorkshire’s new mayor Oliver Coppard, Bradford’s campaign for the accolade in 2025 is being backed by Liverpool’s Steve Rotheram, who said it would be a “boost for the entire North”.
West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin said Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was also supportive of the bid, which is “about us transforming the North as a crucible of culture”.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, Ms Brabin said that all areas of the North would benefit if the City of Culture comes to West Yorkshire.
“My role is to make the case that this isn’t just about Bradford. This is absolutely about Calderdale and Wakefield and Huddersfield and Halifax,” she explained.
“And also being able to bring the other mayors with me.
“Having spoken to Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram and Oliver Coppard, I was able to say to the panel, ‘They want it for the North, because we will all benefit’.
“It isn’t just about Bradford, it’s about us transforming the North as a crucible of culture.”
Judges have been visiting Bradford and the other shortlisted locations – Southampton, County Durham and Wrexham County Borough – in recent days, as they are set to reveal the winning location by the end of this month.
New South Yorkshire mayor Mr Coppard said Bradford winning the title would have the potential to help create a “golden triangle of the North” between South and West Yorkshire as well as Greater Manchester in the fields of culture and creative arts.
He thought the accolade “would show the breadth of talent we have in Yorkshire as a whole”.
He added: “The ambition we have when it comes to culture and creativity they have in West Yorkshire is the ambition we share here in South Yorkshire.
“There are huge opportunities
It’s about us transforming the North as a crucible of culture.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire.
for us around creative, culture, digital, heritage. All of those things we have in spades in South Yorkshire.
“We want Bradford and West Yorkshire to succeed as much as I’m sure they want us to succeed.
“Over time, I think that what that potentially does is create a network of businesses and opportunities that we can share across not just Leeds, West Yorkshire, Sheffield, Bradford, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster and in all the sort of great cities and towns in terms of Yorkshire but also then extending out to Manchester as well in Greater Manchester. We have this opportunity to create this golden triangle of the North.
“If we can build on that, it is a huge opportunity for all of us.”
Meanwhile, Mr Rotheram, who represents the Liverpool City Region, said that northern mayors are “working together to achieve” a “stronger northern economy”. Bradford’s bid is a boost for the entire North,” he added.
“I’ve got everything crossed for the city to be crowned the next City of Culture.”
Mr Burnham’s representatives did not offer further comment when approached by The Yorkshire Post yesterday.
Earlier this week, the visiting judges remarked that Bradford had shown “a real hunger” for the title. The 10-strong-team led by Sir Phil Redmond took a guided tour on Tuesday and Sir Phil said of the city: “They’ve got the point that culture is a great catalyst to bring about change.
“One of the big things about the project is that it gives you a badge of authority to try things differently. It’s an excuse, really, to experiment and innovate and everybody seemed to be well up for that,” he added.
IT IS testimony to the strength of Bradford’s City of Culture bid for 2025 that it has attracted high level support far beyond the borders of the city.
The Yorkshire Post today reports how metro mayors in Sheffield and Liverpool are all backing Bradford’s bid to showcase its unique and vibrant cultural offering on the national stage.
Liverpool’s Steve Rotherham and Sheffield’s newly-elected Oliver Coppard have joined with West Yorkshire metro mayor Tracy Brabin to back Bradford’s bid in a move the latter claims will serve in “transforming the North as a crucible of culture”.
While the North of England’s cultural offer is celebrated and acclaimed in imaginations around the globe, Bradford’s role in this success is perhaps underappreciated.
Despite being the city that gave the world the Brontë sisters, Frederick Delius, JB Priestly and David Hockney – Bradford’s status as a artistic epicentre par excellence does not get the credit it deserves.
Making Bradford City of Culture for 2025 can start to change this and the bid, while proud of its heritage, is very much focused on its future cultural achievements.
As well it should be. Bradford is one the youngest cities in Europe. Its population is as diverse as any European city.
The metro mayors backing the bid recognise this.
They understand making Bradford City of Culture will benefit the whole of the North.
City of Culture transformed Hull in 2017 forever.
The benefit it could bring to Bradford could be even
greater.