LEEDS BID FOR EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

Motion Text

That this House supports Leeds City Council's ambition to be the best city in the UK by 2030; notes that the next opportunity for a UK city to become European Capital of Culture will be in 2023, with only two UK cities having held the title previously, Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008; believes Leeds is fast becoming a city of wider European and global appeal and would be a strong contender for the 2023 title; commends the city for its huge range of sporting, cultural and economic successes; further notes that recent sporting successes include hosting the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France and being a host city for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup; further notes the diverse range of cultural attractions, from Europe’s longest-running West Indian Carnival to the Leeds International Piano Competition, one of the world's most prestigious, well-known and popular arts organisations like Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Northern Ballet, world-renowned museums and galleries including the Royal Armouries and the Henry Moore Institute; also notes the economic strength of Leeds as the biggest city region economy outside London, worth £55 billion; expresses confidence that a successful Leeds bid would also be a boost for the wider Yorkshire region, with Merseyside attracting 75.1 million visitors in 2008, a 19 per cent rise from 2007, which generated £754 million for the North West economy; and therefore wishes the city every success in seeking to become the 2023 European Capital of Culture.