City Of Culture 'Final 14' named

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge has announced the final list of bidders vying to become the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013.

Birmingham joins a list that also includes two linked locations and the entire county of Cornwall! The bidders are:

Barnsley

Birmingham

Carlisle

Chichester

Cornwall

Derry

Durham

Hull

Ipswich and the Haven Gateway

Norwich

Portsmouth and Southampton

Sheffield

Southend

Swansea

Margaret Hodge also announced the final membership of the Independent Advisory Panel, chaired by Phil Redmond, who will make the final recommendation on which ‘city’ should win. The panel covers a great breadth of experience – from broadcasting to Local Government – and is drawn from all over the UK.

The panel members are: Derrick Anderson CBE, Prof John Ashton CBE, Anna Carragher, Margaret Evans, Lauren Laverne, Rotha Johnston CBE, and Robert Palmer.

The Advisory Panel will be meeting in February to consider the bids and recommend a short-list to the Secretary of State early in the spring.