City MPs Stephen Morgan and Amanda Martin have welcomed the announcement of major progress for Portsmouth’s bid for City of Culture 2029.
It has been announced this week that the city’s bid, led by local arts organisation Portsmouth Creates, is one of nine to be longlisted for selection. This means the bid will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application.
If the full application is successful, Portsmouth will be officially recognised as the UK’s City of Culture for a year and receive £10 million. Alternatively, if among the three next-best applications, Portsmouth will instead receive £125,000 to help take forward elements of the bid.
This is progress towards a major opportunity for Portsmouth, with previous titleholders having been able to generate new jobs and attract millions of pounds in additional investment and thousands of visitors to their area.
Longlisted bids must finalise their bids to explain fully how they will use culture to create transformational opportunities and better lives for people living in their local area, with the winning bid to be announced later this year.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“This week, Portsmouth has made amazing progress towards being chosen as the UK’s City of Culture for 2029.
“If successful, this would be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for this city to not only to share Portsmouth’s spirit and value with the rest of Britain, but also to create transformational opportunities and better the lives of local people through culture.
“I would like to thank all those that have been involved in this bid so far, including spearheads Portsmouth Creates, and helped us to achieve this milestone. I look forward to continuing to collaborate on this bid and know that we can succeed!”
Commenting, Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, said:
“This is a hugely exciting moment for Portsmouth and a real testament to the passion, talent and creativity that runs through our city. Being longlisted for UK City of Culture 2029 is a major step forward, and I want to pay tribute to Portsmouth Creates and everyone involved in putting together such a strong bid.
“Portsmouth is a city bursting with creativity, culture and community spirit and this bid is about bringing all of that together to create new opportunities, support local jobs and attract investment that will benefit communities right across our city.
“Securing City of Culture status would not only put Portsmouth on the national and international stage but also help restore a real sense of pride in the place we call home. Even reaching this stage will unlock new funding and momentum, and I’m excited to see the bid develop further in the months ahead.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
“For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.
“I look forward to seeing what the nine longlisted places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people.”
