Leeds 2023 ‘damp squib’ warning as councillor says city's year of culture is not capturing imaginations

Coun Alan Lamb, who leads the local Conservative group, suggested Leeds 2023 had failed to capture the public’s imagination thus far. He made the comments at a meeting of the authority’s most senior members this week, as he referred to a council report which said Leeds 2023 will “let culture loose in all areas of the city”.

He said: "Given we’re now halfway through 2023, I think a lot of people in the city would be hard pressed to say they agree culture has been let loose in all parts. I accept there are a number of events still to come. The concern is, will it end up being a bit of a damp squib? I’d hope for the reputation of the city that we are going to look back at the end of 2023 and feel that all parts of the city did benefit. It doesn’t feel like that at the minute.”

His take on the success of the year to date was challenged by Coun Jonathan Pryor, Labour’s executive member for culture. Defending the decision for the city to push ahead with the year-long programme of cultural activity, he said its economic benefits were “undoubted”. Leeds had bid to be the European Capital of Culture for 2023, before Brexit ruled the city out of the process. Undeterred, the local authority insisted it would press on with its own cultural celebration.

Coun Pryor said events were taking place in every one of the city’s 33 electoral wards and that the programme was being taken into local schools. He also said the near £6m in council spending on Leeds 2023 had brought in extra cash from lottery funding and The Arts Council. He told the meeting: “More money has been spent in Leeds than would been here had we not gone forward with Leeds 2023. That’s a clear economic benefit. Whatever people think of the artistic side of things – and art will always attract different opinions – it’s undoubted that that money is coming into Leeds. I’ve every faith this will continue to boost our economy and we’ve still got half the year to go.”

The year began with a huge opening ceremony at Headingley Stadium, which featured performances from Grammy Award winner Corrine Bailey Rae, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and LYR, Chumbawamba’s Dunstan Bruce, and the rapper Graft. It culminated in a ‘giant’ rising from the River Aire in a specially-filmed segment from the BBC Look North team and a state-of-the-art drone display. Audience members won places by submitting their own pieces of creativity into a ticket ballot, with many of those present saying the passion for the city on display during the event had moved them to tears.

The latest phase of Leeds 2023 includes the Making A Stand sculptural forest in City Square, as well as My Leeds Summer events right across the city. More details on the full programme and how to get involved can be found by visiting the official Leeds 2023 website.