Stoke on Trent City of Culture 2021

On 12 January 2017, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced details of the competition to find the UK City of Culture 2021. Cities had to register an interest by the end of January 2017. Final bids are due by the end of April. A shortlist will be announced in July and the winning city in December 2017.

Guidance for bidding cities is available from Gov.UK.

According to a BBC report, eleven towns and cities have put their names forward:  Stoke-on-Trent, Perth, Paisley Sunderland, Coventry, Hereford, Warrington, Portsmouth, Wells, Swansea and St Davids.

Further detail on Stoke-on-Trent’s bid – the subject of this debate – is available on its website.

EDM 993, tabled by Ruth Smeeth, calls for the Government to support Stoke’s bid. It has 4 signatures so far.

Hull is UK City of Culture 2017.

Derry-Londonderry held the title in 2013.

Press material 

• “Is Stoke-on-Trent really the 11th most cultural place in the UK?”, The Stoke Sentinel, 17 March 2017 
• “Stoke-on-Trent named in The Times list of the top 20 cultural places in Britain”, The Stoke Sentinel, 16 March 2017 
• “20 best cultural places to live: day three: the top arts hotspots in Britain”, The Times [Registration required], 15 March 2017 
• “Paul Williams: ‘Creative placemaking’ crucial for culture bid”, The Stoke Sentinel, 13 March 2017 
• “New group to champion arts in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle schools”, The Stoke Sentinel, 8 March 2017 
• “The Hallé Orchestra’s plan for a free school in Stoke is the way forward”, The Times [Registration required], 3 March 2017