In December 2017, following a competition run by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), Coventry was selected to be the UK City of Culture for 2021. Coventry City of Culture Trust (the Trust) had been set up in October 2015 to oversee Coventry’s bid and subsequent activities. The Trust planned to start Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture in January 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it delayed the start to May 2022.

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Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture ended in May 2022. From June 2022 to March 2024, the Trust was responsible for delivering a ‘legacy phase’. In February 2023, the Trust went into administration having publicly reported financial pressures in October 2022.

Scope of the report

This factual briefing sets out the funding awarded by DCMS and its arm’s-length bodies to the Trust and Coventry City Council for Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture. We set out how DCMS and its arm’s-length bodies oversaw the Trust’s use of the funds they awarded. In carrying out this work we drew on documentation provided by DCMS and its arm’s-length bodies, and publicly available documentation relating to the Trust and Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture.

We do not examine the underlying causes of the Trust’s financial problems as these are matters subject to ongoing reviews by other bodies. We have not evaluated the effectiveness of the decisions made by DCMS and its arm’s-length bodies in their oversight of the Trust. We do not examine in detail how Coventry City Council oversaw the funding it provided to the Trust.

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Press release

View press release (18 Jul 2023)

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