UK City of Culture: 'Game-changer' for Bradford

Officials have been reminded of the need to ensure UK City of Culture leaves a lasting legacy

Bradford's UK City of Culture 2025 win is a "game-changer" but opportunities must not be squandered, officials say.

Nic Greenham, principal officer for Cultural Partnerships at Bradford Council, said some previous winners had struggled to deliver a "legacy".

She told Tuesday's council meeting - the first since Bradford was given the honour - that work needs to begin now to ensure its success.

"We need to work on what the legacy will be," she added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, appointments to the City of Culture leadership team will be made in the next few weeks, with up to 70 people employed to organise events.

Andrew Dixon, who advised previous UK City of Culture winners, also told Tuesday's council meeting - the first since the city was given the honour - said it was vital to get the ball rolling.

He said: "In Hull they dithered for six months and didn't sort out recruitment. In Coventry (the most recent City of Culture) they did a brilliant job and got people together quickly. I'm keen that Bradford gets things right at every level."

Rick Shaw, bid director, said that there had been 700 articles written about Bradford winning City of Culture in the past week, with more than 1.3m impressions on Twitter.

He said: "In the past week all eyes have been on Bradford."

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, executive for Healthy People and Places, described the win as a "once in a lifetime opportunity".

She added: "This is our opportunity to leap forward. We need to make it count."