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DCMS commissioned the University of Warwick (Warwick Business School) to undertake an evidence review of the impact of the UK Cities of Culture programme, with the report now issued.
GOV.UK writes:
…The research provides an assessment of the outcomes and impacts of the UK CoC programme to date and its value for money.
- Paper 1 outlines a proposed theory of change for the UK CoC programme, detailing impact areas, outcomes, and indicator measures, supported by explanations and evidence.
- Paper 2, a technical report, conducts a systematic review of current evaluations and research evidence for the UK CoC and (where applicable) the European Capital of Culture programme, evaluating the evidence, host city characteristics, the legacy effects, and value for money.
The UK City of Culture programme has to date cost £103.1 million to deliver,1 of which £61.7 million has come from public funding via central government or through National Lottery grants.2, 3 The programme has generated:
- Additional investment of over £1 billion which can be linked to the title into the local economies of the host cities, with roughly 25% of that investment coming from the private sector demonstrating that the UK CoC attracts additional investment.4
- Over 3,800 events and activities have made up the respective programmes of the titleholders.
- Based on evaluation data, it is estimated that 539,209 citizens from host cities have engaged and participated with the UK City of Culture (UK CoC) programme. In addition, an estimated 2 million visitors from across the UK and further afield visited host cities for events and activities.
- Across the three titleholders, a cumulative media value/advertising equivalent value of £596 million has been generated, celebrating the unique cultural and heritage identity of the titleholder, and contributing to the UK’s soft power.
Economic impact for host cities included:
- Within Derry/Londonderry – 2,740 additional full time equivalent (FTE) job years created, leading to £97.1m in GVA (constant 2010 prices). The 535,500 additional visitors over the year spent £25.2m.
- Within Hull – tourist visits to Hull increased by 9.7% in 2017 compared with 2016, reaching 6.2 million visits. Jobs in the visitor economy grew by over 27% between 2012 and 2017, increasing from 5,297 to 6,735. The broader creative industries sector, including the cultural sector, experienced steady growth, with employment rising from 1,850 jobs in 2015 to 2,135 jobs in 2017, amounting to a 15.4% increase.
- Within Coventry – there was £20.9m (at 2023/24 prices) net additional off-site and organisational expenditure in Coventry and Warwickshire, 225 1-year net additional FTE jobs from off-site visitor and organisational expenditure in Coventry and Warwickshire, and, £11.6m net additional GVA (at 2023/24 prices) arising from this expenditure in Coventry and Warwickshire.
- Over £100 million in additional GVA across two of the titleholders to date (Derry/Londonderry and Coventry).5
- Tourism within host cities has increased by an average of 22% across the point of bidding and delivery.
- Taking into account standard growth patterns in tourism for each host location, it is estimated that the UK CoC title has led to an additional 3,100 jobs within the tourism and hospitality sectors of host cities.
