Overview

• Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the new competition to celebrate cultural life in towns across the UK.
• The scheme will run alongside the existing UK City of Culture programme, with a separate 2029 city contest due to launch shortly.
• Towns will compete for the title, and the winner will deliver a year-long cultural programme designed to enhance pride in place.
• Detailed criteria, funding information and the application timetable have not yet been released and are expected later in the autumn.
• Government materials cite the City of Culture track record, highlighting early results from Bradford 2025 including education, participation, volunteering and training figures.