Author: Pulse Assent

The decision was made after an independent panel of culture experts, chaired by television producer and screenwriter Phil Redmond, visited each of the five candidate cities before recommending Coventry as the winner.

The bid impressed the judges with its focus on youth, diversity and the scale of impact not only in Coventry but across the UK as a whole.

Coventry will take the title from Hull 2017, which has used City of Culture to transform its reputation as a destination for arts and culture both at home and abroad.

It is estimated that Hull’s local economy has received a £60 million boost in 2017 and the city has been praised for how it has engaged local residents in the cultural programme. Nine out of 10 residents have attended, or taken part, in a City of Culture event and since it was awarded the title in 2013 it has received more than £3 billion of investment.

John Glen, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, said:

I would like to congratulate Coventry on winning UK City of Culture 2021. The title is an incredible opportunity for Coventry to boost investment in the local economy, grow tourism and put arts and culture centre stage.

We received excellent bids from all the cities and I would like to thank them for their efforts.

In 2017 I have seen the truly transformative effect this prestigious title has had on Hull. The city has embraced City of Culture and in doing so has demonstrated how culture, the arts and heritage can bring communities together. I look forward to seeing what Coventry has in store in 2021.

Phil Redmond, Chair of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel said:

Once again the process has highlighted the depth and strength of culture across the UK. That made it difficult choosing a winner, but I would like to congratulate Coventry and I am sure they will build on the legacy of Derry-Londonderry and Hull and bring about a transformational change in 2021.

For those that weren’t successful this time, I hope, as has happened in other places, that they will look to the future and build on the wider cultural partnerships they have created.

The third UK City of Culture announcement comes after the five shortlisted cities were assessed over a number of months by the independent advisory panel. Each city was visited by the panel and invited to present details of their plans for City of Culture.

There have been two previous UK Cities of Culture: Derry-Londonderry in 2013 and Hull in 2017. Both cities have realised economic benefits such as increased investment and a rise in visitor numbers.

Coventry now has three years to prepare its year-long programme of activity for 2021. As part of its status as UK City of Culture 2012, Coventry will be eligible for a £3 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

ENDS

For further information or interview bids please contact Faye Jackson in the DCMS press office on faye.jackson@culture.gov.uk or 020 7211 6263 / 07788 345722

Expert views were provided on the final bids by Martin Green (CEO, Artistic Director, Hull Culture Company) and digital culture expert Will Saunders (Creative Director, BBC studios).

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has announced that over 54,000 farmers in England received their 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) money over the first four days of the payment window.

Payments between 1 – 6 December were made to over 63% of eligible claimants, and worth more than £850 million in total. These include a range of 2017 BPS claim types and sizes, as well as those inspected and farmers with common land.

Thanks to increased entitlement values and greening rates, coupled with the favourable BPS exchange rate confirmed in September, basic payments will be worth 25% more on average this year, compared to 2015.

RPA Chief Executive, Paul Caldwell said:

I am pleased that the RPA has paid a similar number of farmers to last year at the start of the 2017 payment window. I understand entirely the importance of timely payments, and we remain focussed on getting the rest of the payments out as quickly as possible.

Further updates on figures will be made throughout the payment window on GOV.UK.

BPS payments are made direct to bank accounts via BACS transfer so farmers should make sure RPA has the most up-to-date account details. Once a payment has been made a remittance advice is sent in the post, confirming the amount paid. Claim statements will also be sent, explaining how payments have been worked out.

Support

More information on BPS 2017, including scheme rules and details of how payments are calculated, is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/bps-2017.

Avoiding fraud

Farmers are urged to be vigilant against fraud. Remember:

• Your bank, police or the RPA will never ask you to reveal your online password, PIN or bank account details or ask you to make a payment over the telephone.
• Never enter into a conversation with someone you don’t know or open unknown or unexpected computer links or emails.
• If in doubt, call the organisation back, ideally on a different telephone, using a number you are familiar with or you know to be official. You can usually find this on the organisation’s website, correspondence or statement. Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 without delay for advice and to register your concern.

Andrew will provide strategic advice and assurance to the High Speed Two (HS2) Executive and Board on technical matters. At the same time Andrew will advise both the Department of Transport and other government departments on wider transport matters.

Andrew will also continue his role as an expert witness for the project, as required, and continue to be chairman of the World High Speed Rail Committee.

Andrew was HS2 Ltd’s first official employee, joining the company as Chief Engineer in 2009 and guiding it from concept to the edge of reality in the period since.

Professor Andrew McNaughton said:

After leading the design and authorisation phases of HS2 for the last 9 years I am stepping back from a full time executive leadership function to this more strategic role which, I am delighted to say, will continue my strong link with HS2 whilst also giving me more freedom to advise the government here, and others elsewhere, on both high speed railway development, and wider transport issues.

The chairman of HS2 Ltd, David Higgins, said:

Andrew’s expertise and experience has been critical in getting HS2 to the point it is now, and the Board is delighted that it will be able to continue to draw on that expertise in the future.

The chief executive of HS2 Ltd, Mark Thurston, said:

Andrew was not only our first employee, but has also been an inspiration to many of those who have joined since. He has been critical in establishing the project and in recruiting the highly talented team that will carry his and many others’ work through to fruition. We will continue to lean heavily on his expertise, at the same time as benefiting from the perspective Andrew gains from his work with other organisations.

Andrew will be stepping down from his full time role leading the Technical Directorate, taking on the new position from the 2nd January. He will continue to report into Mark Thurston. An announcement on the future leadership of the Technical Directorate will be made shortly.