Nine northern towns and the cities will compete to host Great Exhibition

Bradford Council announced its intention to bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North in May. Pictured,, from left, Susan Hinchliffe (Leader of Bradford Council), Kersten England (Chief Executive of Bradford Council), Shelagh ONeill (Project Leader for the Bid Team) and Clare Morrow (Former Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire)

Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe — Bradford Council announced its intention to bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North in May. Pictured,, from left, Susan Hinchliffe (Leader of Bradford Council), Kersten England (Chief Executive of Bradford Council), Shelagh ONeill (Project Leader for the Bid Team) and Clare Morrow (Former Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire) Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate and Sheffield will fight it out against Blackpool, Scunthorpe, St Helens, Whitehaven, and Newcastle and Gateshead to host the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has announced.

Bradford was the first Yorkshire city to throw its hat in the ring in May, and its bid has since received the backing of city-born athletes the Brownlee brothers and magician Dynamo. Halifax announced it would bid to host the spectacle last month, and was followed by Sheffield last week, and Harrogate on Monday.

The inspiration for the event, which will receive £5m from the Government and a further £15m in legacy funding, can be traced back to the Victorian era, when the show-stopping Great Exhibition was held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851.

The legacy fund will be used to attract further cultural investment in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’, while the exhibition itself is intended to showcase the great creative, cultural and design sectors across the North, and boost investment and tourism.

Mr Vaizey said: “This exhibition is a unique chance to showcase the very best of Northern art, culture and design.

“Investment in arts and culture brings enormous benefits to local economies and I am delighted so many towns and areas from across the North want to be part of this exciting exhibition.”

The chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, Sir Gary Verity, has been appointed to chair the Great Exhibition Board and will support the successful bidder.

He said: “It is fantastic to get nine bids in to host the exhibition, with a terrific mix of towns and cities bidding from both sides of the Pennines.

“I’m looking forward to reviewing them over the coming months with the board and reaching a decision on which one will have the prestige of hosting the Great Exhibition of the North.”

All the bids will assessed by the Great Exhibition Board before a final selection is made by Ministers. The venue will be announced in the autumn.