After Oakham Town Council announced they has officially submitted their initial bid to be the first UK Town of Culture, a number of members of the public spoke out about the announcement.

Some concerns were raised by constituents about the cost the bid was having on public funds, as well as what the point was for the council to apply in the first place.

The deadline for towns to submit an expression of interest was 31 March and had to submit a bid outlining what the £3million funding would be used for in the town.

Small, medium and large towns that enter will all be judged by an independent panel, with one finalist of each size being selected.

After the three finalists are selected, one town will be chosen an overall winner, being awarded £3 million of funding towards the bid.

The two runner-ups will each receive £250,000 to deliver elements from their bid.

Oakham Nub News sat down with the leader of the Town of Culture Committee and Working Group at Oakham Town Council, Cllr Jonathan Nicholls.

When asked what the cost has been to the council to submit the bid, Cllr Nicholls said: Oakham Town Council has spent 'almost nothing' on the bid.

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'The cost has been negligible.'

So far, he explained, the main cost for the bid had been 'personal time' for the councillors involved in the working group that were putting together the bid.

The only physical cost has been paying a small amount for printing of leaflets with information about the bid.

As Town Councillors are not paid, the additional work done on the bid has no cost to the town.

'In my view, it would not make sense to not apply,' said Cllr Nicholls, explaining that the massive benefit £3 million for first place or £250,000 for a runner up position would have an incredible impact on the town.

'There is no down-side to putting in the BID. Oakham will be competing in towns across the country for a big opportunity to get funding.'

Just the work of putting in the town's bid has meant Oakham Town Council has engaged with feedback from the public as part of their consultation.

'It's not about the town now, it's about how it could be with the funding - a vision for the future.'

Cllr Nicholls believes Oakham has a strong case to become Town of Culture, with both a strong local history and needs funding to draw together the county's culture and arts.

'Oakham's story is incredible. Romans, Anglo Saxons, people have lived on this land as far back as we know, how many places can bring this level of history?

'There's also the central role Oakham has in the air force and military, both historically and now.'

However, both Cllr Nicholls and the working group identified Oakham's arts and culture as being a key area that needs a funding boost.

Describing it as a 'cultural Achilles' heel,' Cllr Nicholls said the town's limited space for arts, culture and music is an area that needs a funding boost that the bid could provide.

The bid hopes to use money for an arts centre to create a 'focal point' for the arts in Oakham, hoping to build a 'one-stop-shop' for music, performance and art that the town does not currently have.

They hope to use the funding to enhance the town centre for everyone, leave a legacy to last for residents in the future.

Cllr Nicholls was also keen to state that, if Oakham won, the Town Council would not dictate what the funding is used for.

They want to involve schools, young people and community organisations for the Town of Culture plans, developed in full consultation with residents to meet the needs of the community.

This would involve the creation of a youth cultural advisory panel, which would give young people a meaningful role and way to have their voices heard within the programme.

A key part of the submitted bid has been wanting to celebrate and foster the talent Rutland already has by creating a space and environment for local artists, musicians and performers to flourish.