A Government-funded arts festival which brought part of its celebrations to Bradford has been called into question over its cost.  

The National Audit Office (NAO), the UK's independent public spending watchdog, is investigating the Government’s £120 million ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’ festival.

The NAO will examine whether the event has been good value for money as well as its delivery.

Unboxed  – previously dubbed the Festival of Brexit – has seen projects exploring science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths brought to venues across the UK.

Running between March and November, Unboxed is hoped to “inspire innovation and unlock talent in our communities”.

Bradford was chosen as one of 15 locations to run the Storytrails experience at Bradford Library this Summer.

The virtual reality trail brought untold stories from the past to life by animating public spaces with 3D and spatial mapping.

An advert for the event on Bradford Council’s website reads: “Explore untold stories and forgotten histories from Bradford and District through a virtual map made up of 3D models and audio recordings of people from local communities from across the Bradford District.

“Or try out cutting-edge virtual reality headsets to see history come to life before your very eyes.

“Back outside, take part in immersive StoryTrails walking tours, where a free app will guide you around key historical places in the city, bringing history to life before your very eyes.”

The investigation was demanded by the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, Julian Knight MP (Conservative, Solihull).

The MP branded Unboxed "an irresponsible use of public money" and an "excessive waste of money during a cost of living crisis".

The Telegraph & Argus approached the DCMS for a comment, but did not receive a response.

A spokesperson for the DCMS told the BBC: "We do not agree with the select committee's views."

When Unboxed was announced, organisers boasted the festival’s events would be seen by 66 million people.

That figure is just 1,220,000 less than the entire UK population.

When asked how many people attended the event, a spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “The Storytrails events, which were part of the Unboxed Festival, were enjoyed by over 3,000 people who came to City Library over the two days.”

Meanwhile an article published in parliament's The House magazine this August claimed there had been fewer than 240,000 visitors overall.

A spokesperson for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK said: “The numbers reported misrepresent the public engagement with UNBOXED and reflect attendance at only eight of the 107 physical locations within the programme. UNBOXED’s art, science and tech commissions have been presented in over 100 towns, cities and villages, engaged millions across live and digital and employed thousands of creatives around the UK.

“The UNBOXED programme continues until the end of the year.”

Bradford’s event ran from 11am to 7pm on Friday, July 22 and 10am to 6pm on Saturday, July 23.

At the time, Professor James Bennett, director of StoryFutures and StoryTrails, said: “This is about getting people excited about where they live – helping them connect with stories of their towns and cities from the past and present through a new lens. New technologies like AR and VR can help build these connections and reignite people’s passion for the past. 

“These technologies are for everyone – we want to find ways to engage people from all generations and spark a genuine celebration in each of our incredible locations.”

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