London Mayor beats a path to Hull for tips on cultural success

The same could be said for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, when he arrived in Hull this afternoon to learn the secrets of its City of Culture success.

A whistlestop tour took in everything from the turquoise-jacketed volunteers to the Ferens Art Gallery and the slightly sinister robot installations which have cropped up in the city, prior to a huge lightshow launch next month.

Mr Khan was on a fact-finding mission for his own version of UK City and European Capital of Culture programme - London Borough of Culture.

The Mayor launched the search for the first two London Boroughs of Culture - 2019 and 2020 - in the summer as part of his plans to support the arts in London.

But surely the cultural powerhouse that is London has nothing to learn from Hull?

Not so, said the Mayor. “Even within London there are parts that feel art is not for them, culture is not for them. We need to democratise culture.

“My worry is that not enough Londoners are benefitting from the great culture in London.”

He was impressed by the volunteers, the partnership between the council and businesses and how culture had helped regnerate the city centre: “The wonderful thing that I have seen about Hull is how accessible culture is to everyone in Hull, whether a child, a pensioner, middle-class or working class.

“Culture shouldn’t be the preserve of a small section of society.”

So far 19 of the 32 boroughs have launched bids ahead of a deadline on December 1.

The two winning boroughs will each be given £1.1m funding to stage a programme of world-class cultural events and initiatives and develop a plan to make the arts an integral part of their future.

Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy said: “It shows how successful City of Culture has been that we are giving advice to the nation’s capital on cultural events.

“I think it is a real vote of confidence in the city.”