Bridget Phillipson MP: We need a council that believes in our city’s culture and its ability to attract visitors
Ask those who have visited in recent months, they’ll tell you that our city is a brilliant place.
From the Women’s Rugby World Cup to BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, we have an impressive recent record of opening up our city and showcasing everything that makes it so great.
And when I was in the crowd at Big Weekend in Herrington Country Park last month, I felt so proud of just how much our community has to offer.
From our beautiful green spaces and the buzzing atmosphere of our city, to our warm Mackem welcome.
I’m proud that Labour in local, regional and national government has rightly been ambitious for our city, working hard to bolster its vibrant cultural scene.
The Labour government committed £5 million to protect Sunderland’s glassmaking heritage, a historic part of our city’s culture.
Our former Labour-run council backed Sunderland to become only the second UK ‘Music City’ and revived our cultural quarter around Keel Square.
Our Labour Mayor, Kim McGuinness, is backing the new Crown Works film studio with funding and, most recently, provided a whopping £7 million of investment to boost tourism here in Sunderland and across the North East, for the first time in more than a decade.
But I’m worried that our new Reform-led council does not share this ambition to invest in our city’s talent, creativity and culture.
You only have to look at the record of the Reform-run council in Durham to see what Reform think of local heritage, arts and culture.
In just a year, they cancelled the Lumiere Festival and slashed funding for Durham Pride, which was only saved thanks to the hard work of Durham Miners’ Association.
These are longstanding events which mean so much to local people, bring millions of visitors to Durham, and boost the local economy by millions of pounds.
And Reform UK have planned significant cuts to public services in our city, too.
I want to make sure that Sunderland’s cultural scene, longstanding heritage and brilliant local artists are protected.
So this week, I am writing to the Council to ask them if they will join me in making sure that Sunderland does not follow in our neighbour’s footsteps and to support the brilliant investment secured by Labour.
We need a council that believes in our city’s culture and its ability to attract visitors from all over the world.
A council that doesn’t threaten our city’s culture and art, but instead backs it to be able to thrive.
That’s what Sunderland deserves.