City of Culture Purple

POLICY BRIEFING

UK City of Culture programme - history and update as Hull wins the 2017 title

Author: Marion Catlin LGiU associate

Date: 27 November 2013

Summary

• This briefing covers the result of the UK City of Culture competition including background to the competition and essential information about likely impact and legacy both of winning and of losing the competition.

• In 2002-3, the department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) ran a competition to choose a city as the UK representative in the European Capital of Culture year that was designated to a UK city in 2008.

• It was decided, (following a suggestion by Secretary of State for Culture Andy Burnham and Phil Redmond), to set up a UK-wide version of the City of Culture title, given that it will not be until 2023 that another UK city will be able to become European Capital of Culture because of the number of new and accession states joining the European Union.

• The UK City of Culture competition was inaugurated in 2010 and Derry/ Londonderry was chosen, from a shortlist of four cities (Norwich, Birmingham and Sheffield as well as Derry/Londonderry) for the (current) 2013 year. The competition runs every three years and therefore the next UK City of Culture year is 2017. Hull has just been announced as the winner for 2017.

• This briefing will be of interest to councillors and officers leading on the arts and tourism and the economic impact of the arts and to partner arts organisations.

Briefing in full

The roots of the UK City of Culture competition are to be found in the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme (originally European City of Culture) which has

© Local Government Information Unit, www.lgiu.org.uk, Third Floor, 251 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NG. Reg. charity 1113495. This briefing is available free of charge to LGiU subscribing members. Members are welcome to circulate internally in full or in part; please credit LGiU as appropriate. You can find us on Twitter at @LGiU POLICY BRIEFING been running since 1985 when Greek culture minister Melina Mercouri decided that culture should have as prominent a place and recognition as politics and economics, with its own profile and programme. The intention was that each member state would be highlighted in turn by putting forward a city of its choice to be the representative of the nation, and to bring Europeans together through their cultures and distinctive characteristics as well as their shared history.

It has been recognised for a number of years that the competition is normally beneficial to the chosen city and can act as a catalyst for investment, infrastructure improvement, profile and confidence and pride of place among citizens. This can translate into positive social and economic impact as well as improved artistic and cultural quality and objectives.

2008 was the turn of a UK city to take the title and in 2002 the DCMS launched a competition across the UK for cities to bid to win. Each candidate city had to answer 11 questions about their definition of culture, artistic programme and more. Twelve cities finally submitted a full bid (Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol, Newcastle/Gateshead, Norwich, Brighton, Birmingham, Canterbury, Inverness & the Highlands, Oxford, Cardiff and Bradford) which was then shortlisted to six (Oxford, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle/Gateshead, Cardiff and Bristol) with Liverpool being the eventual winner following another bidding round and more questions and presentations.

The bidding process was long and complicated, and required a great deal of resources. Apart from answering the 11 questions, each city had to complete presentations and host visits, and there was a lot of marketing hype and stunt campaigns in a high-pressure, high-profile process.

Liverpool was the winning city with candidates from all countries of the United Kingdom. Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture in 2008 was deemed to be a success in spite of some difficult times, and in the aftermath, it was decided, (following a suggestion by Secretary of State for Culture Andy Burnham and Phil Redmond), to set up a UK-wide version of the City of Culture title, given that it will not be until 2023 that another UK city will be able to become European Capital of Culture because of the number of new and accession states joining the European Union.

As Liverpool was selected, the remaining bidding cities formed a UK Cultural Cities Network to support Liverpool as Capital of Culture and to lobby the Government for some recognition of the work they had completed. It was also thought that there was a unique opportunity to undertake some research and evaluation of the longer term effects of bidding on cities that were not successful in attaining the title.

The Cultural Cities Network worked alongside Liverpool on a number of collaborative nationwide projects with young people (National Friend Ship and Portrait of a Nation) in addition to meeting three to four times a year in different cities, thereby maintaining the momentum and effects of the bidding process, although not all of the cities were able to maintain membership beyond the bid decision.

Liverpool’s year was considered, eventually, to be very successful in terms of regeneration and celebration. The 2008 programme was championed (after a very difficult start) by screenwriter Phil Redmond who is a Liverpudlian and who was expert at manipulating the media and bringing together the Liverpool population behind the bid. The Secretary of State for Culture at that time was Andy Burnham, also a Liverpudlian and they believed that 2023, the next time a UK city could qualify for ECOC status, was too far away and that the UK should develop its own version of the European-wide programme for UK cities to be run every three years.

In consultation with the UK Cultural Cities Network and other national bodies, they devised the UK City of Culture programme, including a title city that was to be chosen through a bidding process every three years. The decision was made in 2009 at a time when the financial industries were in crisis and the new coalition government had started to make severe cuts in all areas. However, in spite of changes and doubts, the competition was launched in late 2009 and in May 2010, a shortlist of four cities (Norwich, Birmingham, Sheffield and Derry/Londonderry) was announced, beating off contenders such as Durham, Hull, Wakefield and more.

The majority of the UK Cultural Cities Network declined to bid for UK City of Culture with only Birmingham and Norwich going forward. In many cases this was because they felt they were already on a strategic path of cultural development through the ECoC bid, or, in some cases, because they were lacking resources at a very stringent time.

The UK City of Culture process was different to ECOC. A much more technical and limited bid was requested, requiring stringent levels of data indicating benchmarks, step-changes and impacts on social, economic and artistic areas of each city and a much tighter and less ‘showy’ contact with the judging team. An economic regeneration company, Regeneris, were engaged to run the bid process at arms length from the DCMS, and to assess the bids, and an independent judging panel led by Phil Redmond made the final decision.

Derry/Londonderry was chosen, seen by many as a political decision as the announcement coincided with the publishing of the results of the Bloody Sunday Enquiry (Saville Report) and the presentation was attended by Martin McGuinness. It was suggested that Derry/Londonderry needed the title the most to try and unite the city, in spite of the risks involved. Derry/Londonderry has now mostly completed the inaugural City of Culture year.

There was still some doubt whether the competition, which was initiated by the Labour Government, would continue for a second round, but in 2012 the competition for the second year of the title, 2017, was announced. After a pre-bid process, Hull, Leicester, Swansea Bay and Dundee were shortlisted in June this year (2013) and invited to submit a full bid.

In the bid, cities were required to demonstrate their artistic programme and levels of social and economic impact, how they will fund the programme, and what the legacy will be. In particular, they are required to show how much difference winning the title will make to their city.

There is no money ‘prize’ as such but winning the title means that events and conferences, prizes such as the Turner Prize and RIBA’s Stirling Prize are directed towards the incumbent city and Arts Council England, Visit Britain, Heritage Lottery Fund and other major national funders are encouraged to look favourably on applications from the City of Culture. Additional sponsorship and other backing brings the money required to deliver the contents of the bid.

Hull has been announced, by Culture minister Maria Miller and panel lead Phil Redmond, as the winning city, and as such, it expects to be catapulted into the limelight for a short time before it starts on the three-year preparation period as it builds its programme for 2017 based on its bid.

Its main story seems to be that it is ‘a city coming out of the shadows’, having been neglected, ignored or made fun of for centuries. One of the main criteria for the bidding process is to show the difference that winning the title will make, and past descriptions of Hull show that an accolade such as city of culture is needed to change perceptions of the city. A 17th century poet John Taylor quoted “from Hell, Hull and Halifax, good Lord deliver us”. In 2005 Channel 4 dubbed the city the worst place to live, was cited as one of "Britain’s decaying towns" by the Economist in October and appeared top in the ‘Book of Crap Towns’ ten years ago, voted in by its residents (it doesn’t appear at all in the new edition published in October 2013).

Winning the bid is expected to boost the economy of Hull, which has high levels of unemployment and is seen as a backwater. Derry-Londonderry is reported to have doubled its visitor numbers in a year to more than 600,000 and generating £5 for every £1 invested. Derry has also had around £120 million of capital investment pumped into the city since the title was won in 2009.

Phil Redmond said they were “particularly impressed with Hull’s evidence of community and creative engagement, their links to the private sector and their focus on legacy, including a commitment to enhance funding beyond 2017. I’d like to congratulate all involved.”

As well as championing the poetry of Philip Larkin, who was the university librarian in Hull for three decades, Hull’s campaign video, which was part of their final presentation, emphasised the city’s ‘Golden Rules’: Don’t go thinking you’re something you’re not; don’t go thinking that you’re better than anybody else, or that anybody else is better than you, and don’t shout about it, get on with it’ And the freedom with coming from being ‘at the end of the line’, referring to its geographical location. Its overall strapline was ‘This city belongs to everyone’.

Derry’s mayor, Councillor Martin Reilly, said: "I am confident that an amazing year awaits Hull as the winning city for 2017, I wish them every success and look forward to forming a working relationship with Hull to share our experiences and learning."

The leader of Hull City Council, Councillor Stephen Brady, told the BBC: "What I'm saying is thank you to the panel for changing Hull. Never again will Hull have the reputation that some people have put on it in the past”.

These comments reflect the expectation of the difference that the title will make to Hull, but past experience has shown that the chalice is not always straightforward to drink from and there will be a lot of hard work ahead, including political management and relationship-building. Research in 2004 into the European Capital of Culture (Palmer-Rae Associates) showed that such titles can and do have a positive long- term effect on the psyche and fortunes of a city, encouraging investment and changing ambition and aspiration and this has been proved in many cities since, although it is yet to be seen whether the same effect applies to the UK City of Culture title.

It is estimated that being the UK City of Culture 2017 will deliver a £60million boost to the local economy in 2017 alone. The title is also expected to leave a lasting legacy boosting the cultural sector and making it more sustainable; improved quality of life for local people and increased access to tourism and cultural sector jobs.

Councillor Brady added: "Winning the title today is a real game-changer for Hull. It will give Hull a platform to tell the world what this great city has to offer, transform perceptions and accelerate our journey to make Hull prime visitor destination. Hull should be proud of what it has achieved together."

Hull now has three years to prepare, but has already planned an opening ceremony involving 3000 volunteers, a light show and the planting of thousands of trees come 2017.

The city has promised a spectacular programme for 2017 that will deliver artistic excellence and events on a scale never seen before in the city - and will entice visitors from the whole of the UK and beyond. Inspired by Larkin's poem 'Days' the ambition is for each day of Hull 2017 to make a difference to a life in the city, the UK and the world. Hull2017 programme highlights include

• An opening ceremony that will involve four 'rivers' of light, people and sound flowing into the city involving 3,000 volunteers. During the event, elephants will walk the streets of Hull again alongside lost trawlermen, dancing white phone boxes and images of Hull's rich past and creative future.

• An aerial spectacular - with director of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, Mark Murphy, and outdoor arts company Walk the Plank - that will form part of Hull's 2017 Freedom Festival, including ground- breaking design, aerial choreography, an evocative live music score and fireworks to tell the world Hull's story - all framed by the city's iconic tidal barrier. The theme of the event aims to honour one of Hull's most famous alumni Philip Larkin and embody one of his immortal lines: "What will survive of us is love."

• An environmental legacy. Artist-designed gateways and pictorial meadows will form a major feature of Hull's green agenda for 2017 with thousands of trees planted to form sustainable gateways to the city.

• Sonic Lumiere - a stadium event featuring Durham Marenghi, Hull's award- winning lighting designer, working with 500 dancers in a digital sound and light concert on the theme of illusion and fairs

• Hull's 2017 programme will follow a number of themes to celebrate the city including Roots and Routes, Made in Hull, Freedom and Quirky. The proposed programme will include 15 national and international commissions, 12 artists' residencies; 25 festivals; eight major community participation projects; a programme of conferences and major broadcasting events; plus programming activity across 365 days with an estimated 1,500 special events.

The three unsuccessful cities Dundee, Swansea Bay and Leicester were also congratulated by Maria Miller for their hard work and she hoped that they would continue their cultural plans and be able to deliver some of the events as intended, and Phil Redmond said that all cities had shown a real understanding of what this process is about and commended their determination and effort.

Their bid teams are understandably disappointed but all expressed a desire to continue on their culture-based journey.

Comment

The result of Hull winning the accolade of UK City of Culture reflects and illustrates the basic premise of the UK City of Culture bid: that is it not so much about showing off the most cultural place in the UK, but more about how culture can be used effectively to drive and bring about economic and social regeneration whilst boosting the profile, confidence and aspirations of the city and its residents - in other words, how much difference can be made in a four-year period.

Whilst there is so far little track record for the UK City of Culture competition as it is only at the beginning of its second round, and as the competition is closely based on the European Capital of Culture competition, it is fairly safe to extrapolate some of the well-documented benefits that cities taking a culturally-based approach to regeneration have recorded over the past three decades. The concept is now well- understood and accepted in the UK, compared to the levels of understanding in the early part of the century, and it is not so hard to persuade people that a culturally- based approach is worthwhile. Hull, who bid in the initial round of the competition and were knocked out at an early stage no doubt benefitted from having been through part of the process before, and possibly were rewarded for their persistence.

There is also evidence to show that cities that have bid for such titles and have not won have benefitted from the process, although it is much harder since 2008 to get the financial backing to progress without the title and it will be interesting to see whether the runners-up will be able to maintain momentum. Frequently, the bid document becomes the cultural strategy for the city, backed up by a real buy-in from

The expected effects of winning the UK City of Culture title are multifarious: one of the characteristics of the competition is that it involves a huge leap of faith on behalf of the bidding cities and their administrations, mostly because there is no specific funding that accompanies the title. That means that the bid team have to predict and promise wide-ranging events and outcomes without really knowing what resources they will have, only that previously, cities have always been well-supported and that ’the money will come’. From the point of view of risk, this is very difficult to manage throughout the process. Experience of cities such as Glasgow and Liverpool who have benefitted from the European Capital of Culture title took place in a different context where more funding was available, and it is still early to tell what the long- term benefits for Derry-Londonderry will be once the year is over. However, there is no doubt that all of the cities that have bid will never return to their pre-bid positions, even though the losers may be disappointed at this stage, and it is certain that Hull will have an exciting and possibly traumatic time over the next four years..

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