Peter Buffery of the Barnstaple bid, said the town had “loads going on for it”.
“It has got arts organisations and community groups and it has recently had investment that has developed a new performing arts venue and new studios and workshop spaces,” he said.
Sam Lock, from Teignmouth, said it should win “because it is already a really strong cultural identity shaped by its people and its heritage and its creativity”.
“What this opportunity will give us is a chance to build on it, make it more accessible and involve more people across the whole town,” he said.
Andy Williamson, from the Ashburton and Buckfastleigh bid, said: “We already are the UK town of culture. Everything that is happening here in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, basically it is culture going on here all the time.”
