John Denham, Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen since 1992, will become Chair of CultureSouthampton, from January 2015. Mr Denham announced his decision not to stand for re-election in 2011.
Denham studied at the University of Southampton, where he became President of the Students’ Union, prior to becoming an MP. He hopes to use his chairmanship of CultureSouthampton to give a strategic overview to the city’s cultural development.
He said: “No modern city can be truly successful without a strong and distinctive cultural life. It’s equally important for the quality of life and opportunities for local people and for those who come to study, work and invest here. Southampton has great success stories already and even bigger opportunities in the future.”
Mr Denham will be working closely with CultureSouthampton Trustees, cultural leaders and other stakeholders from across the city region over the next several weeks, to develop the strategy and action plans for the next phase of the Trust’s activity. These will be unveiled in February.
See the CultureSouthampton website for details, and to sign up for the regular enews to keep in touch with developments.