Parliament to hold debate on Coventry City of Culture Trust

The trust received millions in government funding and a £1m loan from Coventry City Council last year

Parliament will hold a debate on the collapsed Coventry City of Culture Trust after a local MP called for answers.

The trust called in administrators in February following weeks of financial challenges.

Coventry North West MP, Taiwo Owatemi, is set to raise an adjournment debate on Wednesday.

It comes after public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, said it would look into the trust.

The trust was due to oversee a three-year legacy programme after Coventry's reign as UK City of Culture came to an end in May 2022.

It received millions in government funding and a £1m loan from Coventry City Council last year, which it had said was unlikely to be repaid.

A report from administrators last month, had suggested little over £500,000 was expected to be recouped from its assets.

The collapse also led to the loss of 50 jobs and the closure of popular gallery The Reel Store.

Mishandling of finances

In March, Labour MP Ms Owatemi called for a debate on the the trust, "to ensure that there is proper oversight".

She was advised by House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt that it would be a topic for an adjournment debate, given it was a "highly local issue".

This type of debate takes place at the end of the day's sitting, allowing a backbench MP to raise an issue and get a response from a government minister.

Ms Owatemi said she was "pleased" to get the debate and called for people who oversaw the mistakes to be held to account.

"With many millions of pounds of public funding provided to the Trust, it is right that MPs will have the chance discuss how this situation was allowed to come about and the lessons that must be learnt for the future," she said.