People in Sheffield have voiced divided opinions about the bid to become the UK City of Culture 2029, with some believing local issues, including cost of parking and business rates, should be prioritised first.

As one of the nine longlisted cities, Sheffield will receive £60,000 to boost its entry for the 2029 title, but is this the most important thing for Sheffield?

Amber Savage, co-owner of Vulgar, an independent vintage clothing shop on Devonshire Street, said: “I just feel like there’s a lot of changes that could be made on the ground right now to make Sheffield better.

“If you speak to most people in Sheffield, they’re terrified of driving into the town centre because they think it’s going to cost so much, and things like that do affect all the businesses in the town centre day-to-day.”

The winning city, which will be announced at the end of this year, will receive £10 million to deliver culturally-rooted events and projects with the hope of drawing in more visitors and investment opportunities.

Bradford won the title for 2025 and the city saw around 5,000 events with an approximate audience of three million that year.

Ms Savage believes that Sheffield should focus its investments into its younger generation of entrepreneurs.

“People who are in their early twenties that are thinking about setting up businesses are petrified by all of the rising costs, the business rates, staff wages, and all of the issues that we are all facing right now,” she said. “There should be more support for the next generation.”

However, some people believe the hardship many are experiencing could benefit from the projects and events which could happen as a result of the bid.

Sophia James, a staff member in a shop in Leah’s Yard, said: “I think times are hard and creativity, and positive arts and music events could make things a bit easier.”

The competition also highlights the possibility for a number of opportunities for local residents to take part in key projects throughout the year and embrace local strengths.

“It’s a great thing for bringing a whole city together for events,” said Lynne Davis, a Sheffield resident.

“Anything that brings more people into Sheffield city centre and shows them what has changed in the last year or two would be brilliant and all these events that bring people in make them then look at all the other things and see all the other businesses and hopefully bring them in more into the city centre.”