No money for COC and there never was: McCausland

NORTHERN Ireland’s Culture Minister Nelson McCausland has said there never was and never will be a funding allocation from his Department towards Londonderry City of Culture 2013 and that this was known from the outset.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Mar 2011, 10:30 BST

Mr McCausland spelled this out in response to a query from East Londonderry MLA David McClarty.

He stated: “In relation to the 2013 UK City of Culture, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has not allocated any funding towards the costs of programming the 2013 UK City of Culture celebrations in Londonderry.

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“The UK City of Culture competition was initiated by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It was made clear at the outset that no additional funding would be provided to cities bidding for the award, either for the bidding process or for programming, in the case of the successful city.”

But the Minister said he has raised UK City of Culture 2013 with his colleagues in the Executive to see how the year could be recognised.

“However I have advocated for the Executive to consider how it might support a collective recognition of the opportunity for Northern Ireland presented by Londonderry’s succes,” he stated.

Last October Finance Minister Sammy Wilson confirmed his Department had not identified any funding from its budget to be allocated to the City of Culture 2013 in Londonderry.

Social Development Minister Alex Atwood recently said that the DSD was the only ministry which bid for new capital monies for the City of Culture 2013 and secured £10million.

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