Greenwich will compete against eight other councils for the £1.35 million prize of being London’s borough of culture.
Bids from Barnet, Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Havering, Merton, Newham and Wandsworth were submitted to City Hall last week.
Two councils will win the prize – being named borough of culture for 2025 or 2027. Greenwich is the only council to have applied for both years. Three other boroughs will win £200,000 “cultural impact” awards.
Lewisham was the borough of culture last year, holding 696 separate events including outdoor festivals, new public artworks and local history projects where residents were invited to submit their memories of the area’s culture.
Greenwich is SE London’s sole representative, bidding for the third time after losing out in 2017 and 2020. It says that its plans “celebrate the unique stories of the people who make Greenwich such an outstanding borough. We thank each and every person who collaborated with us on this exciting bid.”
However, the bid has been criticised – firstly by local historians who mocked a call for residents to share stories of their family’s heritage, even though the borough’s heritage centre was suddenly closed five years ago. The centre is now home to Woolwich Works, where the borough of culture bid was launched. A petition to reopen the heritage centre has now passed 1,650 signatures.
Greenwich Dance, which announced its closure after losing a bid for council funding, has called the bid “absurd”.
Waltham Forest was the first borough of culture in 2019. Brent took over in 2020, with a programme that was largely moved online because of the pandemic. Croydon holds the honour this year, although its efforts – including a trail of fibreglass giraffes in run-down Croydon town centre – have been criticised.
There has been no studies into how effective the programme has been. Lewisham’s year was seen as a success on many fronts, especially in its prime aim of community involvement, and said that four of the bigger events led to £1.1 million being spent in the borough. But a frank report issued earlier this year admitted that “evidencing a shift in attitudes as a direct result of We Are Lewisham events and activities is complex and hard to quantify”.
Adel Khaireh, Greenwich’s cabinet member for culture, said: “The benefits of winning are endless. It would boost our local creative economy, create career opportunities, make inspirational experiences accessible to local people and improve health and wellbeing.
“And by celebrating our cultures together, we can promote equality and understanding and strengthen our communities.”
Justine Simons, London’s deputy mayor for culture, said: “I’m super excited to see such a positive reaction to the mayor’s London Borough of Culture award.
“It shows that across London, our boroughs recognise the importance of culture and believe in the value it brings to communities. We’re looking forward to announcing the winners next year.”
The nine bids to be borough of culture
Barnet has applied for the 2027 title. On its website, the council says: “Despite being a fantastic place to live and work and with hidden gems generally known only to local people, Barnet is not recognised as a hotbed of culture.”
It called on residents earlier this year to share their ideas by joining the borough’s “cultural canvas movement”, with the goal of building “a big canvas of cultural activities – from art, literature, film and theatre through to sport, music, spoken word, events and food festivals – where people can express themselves creatively”.
Ealing has applied for the 2025 title. The council says it has “produced an ambitious bid outlining how the borough would use its year to innovate, transform and promote arts, music and culture across its seven towns and create a lasting legacy for the borough”.
The council adds that the borough has “a rich cultural history to back its bid”. It says: “Ealing Studios is the longest running film studios in the world. The Ealing Blues Club was key to the formation of the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and countless other rock legends. More recently, the borough has become home to the thriving London Mela and British Bhangra scenes.”
Greenwich has applied for both the 2025 and 2027 titles. The council says its “proposed programme is based on the stories of more than 1,000 residents and the participation of many thousands more” and “will be delivered by organisations, artists, young people, famous faces, volunteers and stakeholders who push the boundaries of arts, culture and technology to deliver new and exciting opportunities”.
The council adds that its programme will also focus “on levelling up the disparity between the east and west of Royal Greenwich [sic] and celebrates the industrial and working class heritage of the borough”.
Hammersmith & Fulham has applied for the 2025 title. A video produced by the council points out that the borough enjoys “world famous music venues” and was the birthplace of several “classic film and television” shows and “incredible albums”.
Sharon Holder, the cabinet member for the public realm, says that the borough today has “great venues like the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Bush Theatre, Fulham Palace, the Bhavan and the Irish Cultural Centre…
“There’s a lot going on, but not everyone in Hammersmith & Fulham is connected to it, and many beyond it are unaware. We could do so much more if we could join up the dots between people across the borough, between our talent and our opportunities.”
Haringey is pitching itself as a “rebel borough” in its bid for the 2027 title, focusing on the area’s “rich history of everyday rebels and radical activists”.
The council says it intends to utilise high-profile cultural spaces in the borough – including Alexandra Palace, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Jackson’s Lane and Bruce Castle Museum, while arranging community-curated events in each of the borough’s 21 wards.
The council estimates that the programme would involve around 600 local artists and partners and see about 300,000 people participating in cultural activities.
Havering is bidding for the 2025 title. The bid has been drawn up by a consortium of groups collectively known as Havering London, who say they hope to unlock the borough’s “hidden stories and showcase the vibrancy of our community”.
They added: “The goal is to empower everyone, offering pathways to creative careers and opportunities for participation that enhance well-being.”
Merton has applied for the 2027 title. “We want culture to be for everyone, celebrating our diverse communities across Merton,” said councillor Eleanor Stringer, cabinet member for civic pride.
“Our neighbourhoods may be close geographically, but each with their own unique personality and history – and we want to showcase and celebrate the rich tapestry of that.”
Council leader Ross Garrod said: “Merton is London’s best kept secret, but we are home to a whole host of talent and ingenuity – and we want to take pride in it and show it off to the world.”
Newham is bidding for the 2025 title. The borough’s elected mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, said: “Newham has a longstanding commitment to celebrating culture, spearheaded by local organisations like Rosetta Arts, East London Dance, 3 Mills Studio, The Line and many more who work collaboratively with us on many programs to ultimately enable greater creative expression which is a key component of our community wealth building agenda to drive growth in the borough.
“We want Newham to be at the forefront of culture across London and beyond, creating lasting change and benefits that will be felt by all our residents as well as making Newham a destination and home for the very best cultural and creative organisations. We are confident that this bid will elevate and cement our place at the heart of London’s cultural and creative future.”
Wandsworth has applied for the 2025 title. The council says: “After six months of listening to hundreds of community organisations, creative venues, schools, businesses and residents of all ages, we have an ambitious plan to improve access to culture for everyone across the borough and drive positive change.
“This is the first time Wandsworth has entered the London-wide competition. We are home to award-winning cultural organisations, freelance creatives and grassroots community groups. We have vibrant neighbourhoods and a thriving arts scene and we want to showcase our local culture to London and the world.”
Borough profiles by Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter.
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