John Denham, Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen since 1992, will become Chair of CultureSouthampton from January 2015. Mr Denham had announced his decision not to stand for re-election in 2011.

He takes over from Jan Ward, who has been Acting Chair of CultureSouthampton since Stephen Boyce stepped down from the role in July 2014.

Mr Denham 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. I was delighted to be asked to take on this role and look forward to working with all parts of the cultural community to make a real contribution to the cultural life of this great city.”

Trustees of CultureSouthampton warmly welcomed the appointment.

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.

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