Southampton to build on previous UK City of Culture bid

The campaign to make Southampton UK City of Culture 2025 was launched in 2020

Southampton has received £1.57m of new arts funding but is "extremely unlikely" to launch a fresh City of Culture bid, its council leader said.

The city's Culture Trust was awarded the grant by Arts Council England to fund events, festivals and new projects.

It follows last year's announcement of an additional £11.5m investment.

Southampton made the shortlist to be named UK City of Culture for 2025 but lost it to Bradford.

City council leader Satvir Kaur said the process brought the city together and created a sense of energy and momentum.

"What we don't want to do is lose that," she said.

"We want to build on it, grow on it and we are getting this investment to ensure that we deliver it as well."

However, asked whether the city would launch a new bid to be City of Culture 2029 she said she thought it was "extremely unlikely".

'Vote of confidence'

Claire Whitaker CBE, the chief executive officer of the city's Culture Trust, said they hoped to carry out "as much as they can" of the previous bid.

"Albeit at a different scale and pace," she said.

Details of how the latest grant will be used are yet to be revealed, but city leaders hailed it as "a vote of confidence" in Southampton.

They said the fund would contribute to the transformation of the city and the wider region "through energising investment in culture, festivals, events and tourism".

Arts Council England's south west area director Phil Gibby said the funding would make "a transformative difference" to the city's creative talent.

"But its impact will be felt throughout the city, to the benefit of visitors and residents alike," he added.

Last year the body announced an additional £11.5m investment in Southampton's culture and creativity to support the sector over the next three years.