Henley-on-Thames is competing with Banbury in the UK to become the first UK Town of Culture, which was launched by the government last year. The successful town will need to prove its ability to design and implement a year-long cultural programme, and demonstrate its commitment to developing its cultural offerings. The winner will receive £3m to be spent on arts and culture locally. However, competition also includes a competition between Woodley and Slough in Berkshire and Banbury.