City of Culture team to deliver 'long-term legacy'

The team behind Bradford's 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations is to continue to plan events in the district until 2027, it has been announced.

Bradford Culture Company Ltd (BCCL), the charity set up to deliver the year of events, would remain in place until March 2027 to develop a "legacy programme", councillors have been told.

A failure to follow up on the City of Culture year's success could have a negative impact on potential "long-term cultural, social or economic benefits", a report to Bradford Council's executive has warned.

The report added that there was a risk "the momentum generated during Bradford's tenure as UK City of Culture in 2025 may not translate into long-term benefits".

More details of the legacy programme are expected to be announced in the new year.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the authority said in a statement: "BCCL will be supported to continue producing high quality cultural events, attracting national partners and securing external match funding.

"During 2025, BCCL brought in multimillion-pound investment from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England and the National Lottery, as well as from private business, creating clear pathways to future funding that Bradford is well-placed to benefit from."

A council spokesperson added: "To carry this success forward, a managed transition period will run from January 2026 to March 2027, allowing BCCL to maintain a small but effective structure to develop the legacy programme, support the 2,000 volunteers and continue fundraising."

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchliffe said: "After such an amazing year, we need to build on the achievements.

"Being UK City of Culture has gained us national and international attention.

"A successful legacy must now convert this into delivering further regeneration and growth so our communities can thrive."

Sir Phil Redmond, lead judge for the UK City of Culture 2025 bid, said it had been "an amazing year for Bradford".

"You can sense the positivity in the place and see the impact this year has had," he said.

"Bradford now has a huge opportunity to really push forward and make the district a cultural jewel in the Yorkshire crown."

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