Bradford Culture Company, the charity set up to run events for the area’s City of Culture status this year, is to be supported by the city's local authority for a further two years to create a “lasting legacy” for the area's arts and culture.

A managed transition period will run from January 2026 to March 2027 to ensure the charity can “maintain a small but effective structure to develop the legacy programme”, according to a statement from Bradford City Council.

During this time the charity will continue to manage activities, support 2,000 volunteers that have been involved this year and fundraise.

Further details of the legacy programme will be announced in the new year.

Bradford City Council has also committed itself to continued funding for local cultural organisations and charities and a community capital grant scheme has been announced.

This offers funding of between £5,000 and £50,000 to charities and other organisations to support the delivery of cultural and sports activities in the area.

Also council owned museums, libraries, market and sports facilities will be involved in legacy events.

Bradford Culture Company executive director Dan Bates and creative director Shanaz Gulzar said: “Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture has seen millions of people attend events across the district, and we’ve been honoured to put Bradford people and its cultural sector at the heart of the year-long programme.

“This new partnership with Bradford Council allows us to build on that success and continue to collaborate with our sector, open up access to our volunteering programme and create fresh opportunities for creatives and audiences alike, ensuring the impact of 2025 leaves a lasting mark across the district.”

Bradford Council leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe added: ‘Being UK City of Culture has gained us national and international attention. A successful legacy must now convert this into delivering further regeneration and growth so our communities can thrive.”

The continuation of cultural events in Bradford has been backed by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy who said: "I hope to see Bradford go from strength to strength after a fantastic year of events and ensure their year in the spotlight has a lasting legacy that everyone across the district can benefit from."

During its year as City of Culture Bradford 1.1m people attended activities, which more than 40,000 residents took part in.

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