Boroughs of Culture

Waltham Forest and Brent named first London boroughs of culture

Sadiq Khan said the scheme would ‘give all Londoners, regardless of background, the opportunity to enjoy the capital’s fantastic cultural riches’. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Waltham Forest and Brent have been named as the first London boroughs of culture, each receiving £1.35m of funding.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, announced the two winners on Tuesday morning, which were chosen from the 22 London boroughs that submitted a bid. Ten boroughs did not enter the competition.

The project is inspired by the success of European capital of culture programmes, which have benefited cities including Glasgow and Liverpool, and more recently the UK city of culture, won by Derry and Hull and, in 2021, Coventry.

First up in Khan’s scheme will be Waltham Forest in 2019, followed by Brent in 2020.