Birmingham City Council has confirmed it will bid for the title of the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013.
It comes after Government culture secretary Ben Bradshaw launched a UK-wide competition, looking to build on the success of the European Capital of Culture event in Liverpool last year.
The minister invited Birmingham to apply for the honour and in reply the council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture Martin Mullaney has taken up the challenge.
Coun Mullaney said: “We are certainly going to bid for this and I firmly believe we have what it takes. We already have an exceptional cultural offer here in Birmingham and this is an exciting opportunity to set a new, even higher, standard, benefiting a population that is amongst the youngest and most diverse in the country. Culture is not just a luxury on the fringes of everyday life. The art and culture of a city can play a major role in driving regeneration.”
