Cornwall Council is to press ahead with plans to bid for Truro to be named European Capital of Culture in 2023 - a decision which will cost £336,000 for the first phase alone.

The council's cabinet voted eight to one in favour of going ahead with what is being marketed as "an exciting and ambitious plan to showcase Cornwall’s cultural and artistic talent to the globe." It is claimed that as part of the plan, the bid will provide world class culture for the people of Cornwall and could boost the Cornish economy by up to £100M.

The council’s cabinet agreed to lead a partnership bid for the award following a request for members to reconsider their original decision. The meeting was told that the costs of going ahead with the first phase of the bid would be £336,000, not the £536,000 originally reported, with potential economic benefits to Cornwall of up to £769,000.

Welcoming the decision Julian German, the cabinet member for economy and culture, said: “We are now in an even stronger position to bid for Truro – Cornwall to be the European Capital of Culture than when the cabinet supported the proposal a month ago.

“Truro City Council has come out in favour of the bid and a number of key organisations from across Cornwall have already written to us to show their support and pledge resources to help Cornwall win this prestigious award. We will now be looking to reduce the impact on council tax payers even further by seeking contributions from other businesses and partners towards these costs.

“After considered and rigorous debate, it’s now time to put doubts aside and get behind a significant, exciting and ambitious opportunity that could create over 2,000 jobs across Cornwall. We must not lose the energy, enthusiasm, vision and aspiration of this bid which will benefit the whole of Cornwall – not just Truro.

“Cornwall consistently punches above its weight and there has never been a better time for us to celebrate our heritage and our current and future success and visions. We have the best connected rural broadband network in Europe, the UK’s number one arts university, brave theatre companies like Kneehigh, WildWorks, Rogue, Golden Tree and internationally renowned visual artists and innovative cultural entrepreneurs from East to West.

“In 2023 the world will be a different place and the UK will be outside of the European Union. Who can say what that will mean for Cornwall? Bidding for Capital of Culture will enable us to celebrate and update the story of Cornwall and position ourselves as a region that recognises its many challenges, is culturally rich, open for business and an outward looking place that welcomes innovation, investment, development through diversity and creativity and welcomes and supports new ideas.”

The council will now work with partners, politicians, communities, grass roots organisations, businesses and commercial organisations to submit the bid by late October. This will involve seeking financial and in kind contributions.