Barnsley Council weighing up 'Town of Culture' bid
The winning town will secure up to £3m in government funding and host a year-long programme of cultural events in 2028.
Barnsley could be on course for a major national cultural spotlight after council leaders backed plans to explore a bid to become one of the UK’s first Towns of Culture.
The move was revealed at a meeting of the Town Deals Board on Monday (17 February), where members unanimously agreed to support a potential bid.
The winning town will secure up to £3m in government funding and host a year-long programme of cultural events in 2028.
Jon Finch, the council’s head of culture and visitor economy, told the board the new competition sits alongside the long-running City of Culture scheme and is expected to attract hundreds of bids from towns across the UK.
He said expressions of interest must be submitted by 31 March, before a national shortlist is drawn up later this year.
Mr Finch said the key to standing out would be telling a “compelling story”, adding that Barnsley’s recent progress, particularly the transformation of the town centre and the growth of its cultural and creative sectors, gave it a strong chance of standing out in a crowded field.
Sir Steve Houghton CBE, leader of the council, said Barnsley’s story over the last three decades set it apart.
“The most interesting bit for me is the last 30 years, for when the pits shut everything changed, and now we’ve used culture to move the town on to where it is today,” he told the meeting.
“A lot of places haven’t. That’s, I think, where we are different. I do think that sets us apart from others. we’ll use this bid for the next 30 years. The last 30 years we’ve done it ourselves. This is going to kick us off higher, and better than we’ve been previously.”
No final decision has yet been made on whether the bid will go ahead, but work would move quickly if it is formally approved.