August 14, 2017

Towns and cities across Northern England will be able to bid for a share of a new £15 million fund to help build a lasting regional legacy from the Great Exhibition of the North, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley has announced.

Projects could include opening a new tech start-up centre or renovating live music venues and should, the Government says, “increase opportunities for people to experience, benefit and contribute to culture and creativity.”

The Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund will make grants of up to £4 million available to support major culture and tech capital projects. The fund will build on the impact of next year’s exhibition and help pave the way for future investment in the “Northern Powerhouse”.

The Great Exhibition of the North will be held in Newcastle and Gateshead next summer. Set to be the biggest event in 2018, the £5 million government-funded exhibition will showcase the best of Northern art, design and innovation. It will engage communities and businesses from across the region, and promote the bustling and thriving area to the world.

The first round of bids will be coordinated by Local Enterprise Partnerships in Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Humber, Lancashire, Leeds City Region, Liverpool City Region, North East, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, York and North Yorkshire and East Riding.

The successful projects will be announced in March 2018. A further round of funding may follow if all the available funds have not been committed, the Government says.

The Government hopes that successful bids will “encourage sustainable cultural and creative regeneration in the North of England and benefit areas that have historically had low levels of cultural and creative investment.” To read the DCMS press release in full, click here.