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Exeter and Torbay have joined forces to launch a bid to become the UK's City of Culture in 2025.

Exeter City Council and Torbay Council will submit a case, showcasing the two Unesco-recognised areas.

The Devon team is up against a number of other contenders for the title, including neighbouring Cornwall, Durham, the county of Lancashire and five council areas in Scotland.

A change of rules allows areas and places to join together to apply.

Those behind the Devon bid said it would "look to showcase closely-connected coastal and city destinations".

They said it would aim to create a "cultural corridor between the places, while also providing the opportunity to for other towns between Exeter and Torbay to play a major role in a focused programme of events".�� 

If the bid is shortlisted into the final six, Torbay and Exeter will receive £40,000 to develop the programme to secure the status.

'Shared aspirations'

The leader of Torbay Council, Steve Darling, said the move highlighted the area's ambitions and "our aspiration to continue to improve the experience of living, working and visiting Torbay".

He added: "It is important to further build on our partnerships across the region, and by working with Exeter we can maximise the opportunities and realise shared goals."

Torbay's geological heritage received international recognition in 2007, with the granting of .

The Exeter Book, kept at Exeter Cathedral's library, an anthology of poetry and riddles written in AD970, was granted Unesco status in 2016 for its "outstanding significance" to British history.

The bids that are successfully shortlisted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be notified in September.��

The inaugural holder of the award was Derry in 2013.

In 2017, Kingston upon Hull took over the title, before Coventry became the current holder in 2021.

Past winners have seen benefits from increased visitor numbers and significant amounts of investment.  

Exeter councillor Amal Ghusain said: “Torbay and Exeter naturally complement and enhance each other, with firm roots in the natural environment, art, literature and learning, with shared aspirations about net zero carbon targets and with recognised opportunities to learn from each other.”