Bid for Stoke-on-Trent to join 'elite league of creative cities'

Council wants city to become part of exclusive creative network

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

STOKE-ON-TRENT will aim to join the likes of Rio, Rome and Beijing in an international club of 'creative cities'.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council believe that membership of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network will help boost tourism and economic growth.

UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation - created the network in 2004 to promote co-operation between cities where creativity is a 'strategic factor for sustainable development'. There are currently 350 Creative Cities around the world, including 13 in the UK, representing seven different specialist fields.

Cabinet members at the city council have now backed plans to submit an application for Stoke-on-Trent to join the network, based on its 'unique cultural heritage' and contribution to ceramics, when the next round opens in late 2026.