Steve Rotheram has named Wirral as the Liverpool City Region’s Borough of Culture for 2019. The Borough of Culture title is awarded by the city region’s Combined Authority to one of its six local authorities on an annual basis.

The first Borough of Culture title was awarded to St Helens in 2018, coinciding with celebrations for the borough’s 150th anniversary. The title is part of a £300,000 funding package to support cultural events through the year, delivered as part of our pioneering 1% for Culture programme.

The 1% for Culture programme saw the Liverpool City Region become the first in the country to commit to spending the equivalent of 1% of its annual £30 million devolution funding from government to support cultural activities.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“Culture and the visitor economy are vital to our city region, employing more than 50,000 people and generating more than £4.5bn a year. This title is an essential part of our commitment to supporting cultural activities and I know that, with their track record of exciting cultural events and activities, Wirral will make a huge success of their year in the spotlight.”

Cllr Phil Davies, Leader of Wirral Council, added:

“The Borough of Culture title will enable us to deliver another incredible year of cultural events and projects. We’re looking forward to creating unforgettable experiences for our residents and visitors, as well as providing fantastic opportunities for our children and young people and developing creative collaborations across the city region.”

Details of Imagine Wirral, their programme of events for the year, can be seen here.