Final 14 named

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge has announced the final list of bidders vying to become the UK's first City of Culture in 2013.

The judging panel that will make the final recommendation on which bid will win has also been revealed.

Bids have come in from 14 places, made up from single cities or towns, closely linked cities and whole counties.

The bidders are: Barnsley, Birmingham, Carlisle, Chichester, Cornwall, Derry, Durham, Hull, Ipswich and the Haven Gateway, Norwich, Portsmouth and Southampton, Sheffield, Southend, Swansea.
 

The Independent Advisory Panel, chaired by Phil Redmond, who will make the final recommendation on which 'city' should win covers a great breadth of experience - from broadcasting to Local Government - and is drawn from all over the UK. The Panel members are: Derrick Anderson CBE, Prof John Ashton CBE, Anna Carragher, Margaret Evans, Lauren Laverne, Rotha Johnston CBE, and Robert Palmer.

The Advisory Panel will be meeting in February to consider the bids and recommend a short-list to the Secretary of State early in the spring.