Town's culture bid could help 'dent deprivation'

Burnley looks set to submit a bid to become the first ever UK Town of Culture as the council said it aimed to "create joy" and "put a dent in long-standing deprivation".

It joins Chorley as the only other place in Lancashire to have so far put its hat in the ring to secure the new title, which runs alongside the existing UK City of Culture contest.

Thousands of towns have a chance to win, with a prize of £3m to fund a 12-month cultural programme in a competition for the new honour in 2028.

Burnley Council said it chimed with the authority's aim of using culture "as a tool to tackle inequality".

The town already has its own Year of Culture planned in 2027.

The government said the competition - which is open to towns of all sizes - would provide "a platform for communities across the country to tell their own unique story" and create "a lasting sense of pride" as well as improving access to the arts.

Burnley councillor, Jack Launer, said: "I'd like to see us creating joy and attracting people to visit through a mixture of innovative performances and local collaborations.

"Central to our vision is using culture as a tool to tackle inequality, helping put a dent in long-standing deprivation by widening opportunity, improving wellbeing and building pride in place."

Launer said winning would "allow us to back our creative people, strengthen our cultural infrastructure and set the foundations for an exciting future".

Towns are being invited to submit expressions of interest by the end of March, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Television producer Sir Phil Redmond, who created Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks, will lead an expert panel looking at the bids.

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