TRURO could become the European Capital of Culture in 2023, which is hoped would ‘affect Launceston positively’, the town’s council heard last week, writes Amy Dennis.

But North Cornwall’s Conservative MP Scott Mann said that the county has decided to launch such a bid ‘shows contempt for the tax payers of Cornwall’.

At the most recent meeting of Launceston Town Council on January 24, Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Launceston North and North Petherwin Adam Paynter, who is also a cabinet member, said that the potential of putting in a bid for Truro to be capital of culture was to be discussed at cabinet the following day.

He said although a city is needed to lead it: “Hopefully it will affect Launceston positively.”

The cabinet last Wednesday agreed to support the bid, and Cornwall Council said the Truro-Cornwall bid for European Capital of Culture will be formally launched on March 3.

In response, MP Scott Mann wrote on social media: “Once again the Lib Dem/Independent Cornwall Council shows contempt for the taxpayers of Cornwall by approving a £500,000 bid for the EU City of Culture.

“This is just one of many decisions made in the last four years where taxpayers’ money has been squandered. We keep being told there isn’t enough money for vital frontline services, yet projects such as this get the green light. The council needs an injection of common sense and a change of direction.”

Cornwall Council said the plan ‘will showcase Cornwall’s cultural and artistic talent to the globe, provide world class culture for the people of Cornwall and boost the Cornish economy by £100-million’.

The chairman of the Charles Causley Trust is one of those who have welcomed the news. David Fryer said: “The Charles Causley Trust, based at the poet’s former home in Launceston, has developed significantly in recent years with much backing from Arts Council England, Cornwall Council, Launceston Town Council, Literature Works and local Universities.

“The Capital of Culture bid is a wonderful chance to maximise the potential of Cornwall’s considerable literary and poetic heritage and the Causley Trust will be delighted to help in any way it can to ensure success.”

Julian German, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for economy and culture, said: “Cornwall’s culture is world class and our ambition is to provide a platform for our writers, performers, artists, poets, producers, designers, musicians, software coders and cultural entrepreneurs to tell our story to the world. Our bid will respect the past, but it will be about the opportunities of the present and our ambitions for the future.

“We have preparing the groundwork for this bid for over a decade. Cornwall consistently punches above its weight and there has never been a better time for us to celebrate our success. We have the best connected rural broadband network in Europe, the UK’s number one Arts University, brave theatre companies like Kneehigh, WildWorks and Rogue, internationally renowned visual artists and innovative cultural entrepreneurs from East to West.

“Last summer’s Man Engine spectacle proved what we can achieve when we combine the story of our past with our ability to imagine, engineer and engage. Over 140,000 people saw the Man Engine live and it reached over 112,000,000 people across the globe via our digital connectivity.

“By 2023 we will have doubled the gallery space at Tate in St Ives, rebuilt the Hall for Cornwall and opened a world class archive in Redruth; GROUNDWORK will have explored a new programme of visual art practice and FEAST, our wonderful community arts scheme, will have reached 1,000 communities. All the building blocks for an incredible year long celebration of our arts and culture will be in place.”