AMBITIONS to see Cheltenham and Gloucester crowned the cultural capital of the country have got off to a stuttering start.

Enthusiasm to compete in the UK City of Culture competition in 2017 is rife on the western side of the Golden Valley bypass.

But while Gloucester City Council chiefs want to start planning for the bid immediately, their counterparts in Cheltenham say it not yet on the radar.

Cheltenham Borough Council leader Steve Jordan said: "I have not heard anything about it, to be honest.

"We are happy to talk to the city council about it, but the idea of giving ourselves four years was to have a bit of time.

"It's still something we support but I'd have to have a look at the plans before I comment any further."

The UK City of Culture competition was launched by the Government last summer to build on the success of Liverpool's stint as the European Capital of Culture in 2008.

The winner does not have to be a single city – it can be closely-linked urban areas with a rural hinterland.

Council bosses in Cheltenham and Gloucester initially planned to bid for the inaugural 2013 title last year, but eventually chose to drop the challenge in December.

Details of the bid, uncovered by the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed success could have brought nearly £800 million and 21,000 jobs to Gloucestershire.

In a Gloucester City Council cabinet meeting this week, councillors and officers agreed the city needed to start working with Cheltenham on the new campaign now if it was to be successful in 2017.

Phil Staddon, corporate director of regeneration, said: "It needs to start now. We need to put together a timeline, with what we need to do and achieve, and when."

He added the feedback from the 2013 unsuccessful bid showed that closer working between the two cities was needed.

"It's been fairly limited over the years," he said. "Good working is starting – for example, The Guildhall is doing great work with Cheltenham Borough Council.

"We're now talking with each other to see how we can work more closely together."

The winner of the 2013 title will be announced in the summer. Among the cities bidding are Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds. The successful candidate will host a string of glittering events, such as the Turner Prize, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and The Brits as part of its year in the spotlight.

Councillor Paul James, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "It shows a maturing of our relationship with Cheltenham that we can do this.

"We'll have made a lot of progress in the regeneration of the city by 2017 and we can look forward to that as well."