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Milton Keynes longlisted in City of Culture bid

George King
News imageChunyip Wong/Getty Images An aerial view of Milton Keynes. There are a lot of trees, office-style buildings in the foreground, and clusters of residential homes in the background.Chunyip Wong/Getty Images
Milton Keynes will go up against the likes of Ipswich and Portsmouth as it bids to make the four-candidate shortlist

Milton Keynes has taken a step towards scooping a £10m windfall after being included on the longlist for the next UK City of Culture.

The city is one of nine places still in the running and could benefit from a funding injection to support its bid.

The UK City of Culture prize is awarded every four years, with the next city being crowned in 2029.

Milton Keynes City Council cabinet member Shanika Mahendran said: "Being longlisted recognises the potential of our bold design heritage, our creative communities and our forward-looking identity."

Other places still with a chance are Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.

Previous winners have included Bradford, Coventry and Hull.

News imageSam Read/BBC A head and shoulders shot of Shanika Mahendran, who is looking at the camera and smiling. She is wearing a green top with spots on and a dark blue coat. Behind her is Whitehouse Medical Centre, which is a brown brick building with a large window above the entrance. A car park, a large paving slab pathway and some bushes are also in the picture.Sam Read/BBC
Shanika Mahendran said she was thrilled to hear the city was still in the running

Mahendran said she was looking forward to showing people what the city was all about.

"We thank the expert judging panel and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for seeing that potential," she said.

"We look forward to working closely with partners from across the city as we develop the full application, and to showing even more of what makes Milton Keynes such an inventive, welcoming and culturally ambitious place."

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "The UK City of Culture competition recognises the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.

"I look forward to seeing what the nine longlisted places have in store as they progress in the competition."

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