Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours

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Aerial view of St Asaph Cathedral. St Asaph achieved city status in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee

As part of the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II will award a number of civic honours, most notably the creation of new cities in a competition.[1] Another competition for lord mayor or lord provost status will be held.

It was announced on 8 June 2021 by Lord True.[2] It is organised by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as lead by Secretary of State Oliver Dowden.[3]

Background[]

The elevation of a town (or borough) to city status has been a royal honour since the days of the 19th century; in 1897, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Bradford, Kingston upon Hull, and Nottingham were afforded city status.[4] The first awarding of city status by Queen Elizabeth II was Southampton in 1964, followed by Swansea in 1969.[5] In the Silver Jubilee of 1977, Derby was elevated to city status,[6] and in 1992, Sunderland was awarded city status for the Ruby Jubilee.[7]

Similar city status awards were presented in 2000 (for the Millennium; Brighton and Hove, Inverness, Wolverhampton) and in 2002, for the Golden Jubilee (Preston, Newport, Stirling, Lisburn, and Newry).[8]

In the Diamond Jubilee city status process, 26 towns applied to become cities: Bolton, Bournemouth, Chelmsford, Colchester, Coleraine, Corby, Craigavon, Croydon, Doncaster, Dorchester, Dudley, Dumfries, Gateshead, Goole, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Perth, Reading, Southend, St Asaph, St Austell, Stockport, Tower Hamlets and Wrexham.[9] However, the town of Dumfries was later exempted from the process as it emerged that the application had not been submitted by the local authority.[10] Chelmsford, Perth and St. Asaph were subsequently chosen for city status.[11]

On 8 June 2021, the government announced the potential for new city status for towns across the United Kingdom and overseas territories.[12] Southend-on-Sea was also looking to apply for city status under the Platinum Jubilee, however in October 2021, the Queen agreed to confer city status on Southend, after the killing of David Amess[13] who had been campaigning for twenty years to make Southend a city.[14] On 1 March 2022, Charles, Prince of Wales presented the letters patent on behalf of the Queen in the council chamber at Southend Civic Centre, officially granting the town city status.[15]

The deadline for bids to become a city ended on the 8 December 2021.[16] For the first time in the city status process, towns located on Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories are eligible to apply. This has attracted bids from the Isle of Man, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.[17]

A decision will be taken in spring 2022, with an announcement on the winners shortly after the decision making process.[18]

Applicants for city status[]

Thirty-nine towns and villages (including one county) across the United Kingdom and its overseas territories will participate in the competition. A unique entry is South Ayrshire which entered a countywide bid.[19]

The winners will become Britain's newest cities. The settlements applying are listed below:[20]

Settlement County Region Type Notes
Alcester Warwickshire England Market town and civil parish [21]
Ballymena County Antrim Northern Ireland Town [22]
Bangor County Down Northern Ireland Town [22]
Blackburn Lancashire England Town [23]
Bolsover Derbyshire England Market town [24]
Boston Lincolnshire England Market town [25]
Bournemouth Dorset England Town and former borough [26]
Coleraine County Londonderry Northern Ireland Town and civil parish [22]
Colchester Essex England Market town [27]
Crawley West Sussex England Town and borough [28][29]
Crewe Cheshire England Railway town and civil parish [30]
Doncaster South Yorkshire England Minster town [31]
Dorchester Dorset England County town [32][33]
Douglas Isle of Man Crown Dependency Capital town [34]
Dudley West Midlands England Market town [35]
Dumfries Dumfriesshire Scotland Town [36]
Dunfermline Fife Scotland Town and former royal burgh [37]
Elgin Moray Scotland Town and former cathedral city [38]
George Town Cayman Islands Overseas Territories Capital town [39]
Gibraltar Gibraltar Overseas Territories Capital town [40]
Goole East Riding of Yorkshire England Market town and civil parish [41]
Greenock Renfrewshire Scotland Town [42]
Guildford Surrey England Town [43]
Livingston West Lothian Scotland Town [44]
Marazion Cornwall England Town and civil parish [45]
Medway Kent England Conurbation and unitary authority [46]
Middlesbrough North Yorkshire England Town [47]
Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire England New town [48]
Newport and Carisbrooke Isle of Wight England County town and village [49]
Northampton Northamptonshire England County town [50]
Oban Argyll and Bute Scotland Town [51]
Reading Berkshire England Town and borough [52]
Peel Isle of Man Crown Dependency Town [53]
St Andrews Fife Scotland Town [54]
Stanley Falkland Islands Overseas Territories Capital town [55]
Warrington Cheshire England New town [56]
Warwick Warwickshire England County town [57][58]
Wrexham Denbighshire Wales Market town [59]

References[]

  1. ^ "Prestigious civic honours to be awarded by Her Majesty The Queen for first time in 10 years". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  2. ^ "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  3. ^ "Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  4. ^ Beckett, John (November 2014). "Inventing and reinventing the modern city: the 2012 city status competition in the United Kingdom". Urban History. 41 (4): 711. doi:10.1017/S0963926813001053.
  5. ^ Symon, Penny (29 July 1977). "Queen met with flowers, gifts and some groans". The Times. No. 60, 068. p. 2. ISSN 0140-0460.
  6. ^ "Derby marks 40 years as city". BBC News. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  7. ^ Davenport, Peter (15 February 1992). "Sunderland casts off ailing past to win city status". The Times. No. 64, 256. p. 2. ISSN 0140-0460.
  8. ^ "Five new cities creates row". BBC News. 14 March 2002. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  9. ^ "More than 25 towns bid for Diamond Jubilee city status". BBC News. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  10. ^ "Dumfries considers revived bid for city status". BBC News. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  11. ^ "Three towns win city status for Diamond Jubilee". BBC News. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Prestigious civic honours to be awarded by Her Majesty The Queen for first time in 10 years". GOV.UK. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Sir David Amess: Southend to become a city in honour of MP". BBC News. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  14. ^ Kingsley, Thomas (22 October 2021). "Southend falls silent to mark one week since MP's murder". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  15. ^ "Southend: Prince Charles presents city status document". BBC News. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  16. ^ Sandford, Mark (13 July 2020). "What makes a city?". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  17. ^ Singh, Anita (23 December 2021). "Far-flung Stanley in quest for city status to mark jubilee". The Daily Telegraph. No. 51, 820. p. 3. ISSN 0307-1235.
  18. ^ Cromar, Chris (2022-01-05). "39 places bid for city status as part of Queen's Platinum Jubilee". Public Sector Executive.
  19. ^ "Who's competing against South Ayrshire in UK 'city bid' fight?". Ayr Advertiser. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  20. ^ "City status: The 39 towns competing for an upgrade revealed". BBC News. 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  21. ^ "Alcester in the running for city status in Jubilee competition". Redditch Advertiser. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  22. ^ a b c "Bangor, Ballymena and Coleraine bid to become a city as part of Queen's Jubilee". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  23. ^ "Duke of Cambridge pledges support for Blackburn's city status bid". BBC News. 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  24. ^ "Bolsover bids to become city for Queen's Platinum Jubilee". BBC News. 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  25. ^ "Queen's Platinum Jubilee: Boston to bid for city status". BBC News. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  26. ^ "'City status bid for Bournemouth is ludicrous in the extreme'". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  27. ^ "Official bid submitted for Colchester to become a city". Gazette. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  28. ^ "'This is an opportunity to promote and boost our community' - MP backs Crawley's bid for City status". www.crawleyobserver.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  29. ^ "Crawley's city status bid backed by county council". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  30. ^ "38 places Warrington will have to beat to win race to become a city". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  31. ^ "Queen's Platinum Jubilee: Doncaster to bid for city status". BBC News. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  32. ^ "It's official: Dorchester makes city status bid list". Bridport and Lyme Regis News. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  33. ^ "Dorchester bids for city status in jubilee competition". BBC News. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  34. ^ "Douglas to apply for city status". Manx Radio. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  35. ^ Andrews, Mark. "Dudley takes on the world in bid to become city with global opposition announced". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  36. ^ "Campaign to make Dumfries a city officially launched". ITV News. 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  37. ^ "'Dunfermline has city status, we just need the Queen to confirm it'". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  38. ^ "City bid from Elgin as part of Queen's celebrations". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  39. ^ "George Town among places vying to win city status in Queen's 70-year reign". Cayman Marl Road. 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  40. ^ "Gibraltar among 39 places hoping for city status". Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  41. ^ "Goole to apply for city status". gooletimes.info. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  42. ^ "Councillors outline reasoning behind decision to pursue city status". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  43. ^ Lemieux, Hannah (2021-09-23). "Guildford is set to bid for UK city status". SurreyLive. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  44. ^ Sommerville, Stuart (2021-10-28). "West Lothian community asked to back town's Platinum Jubilee city bid". Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  45. ^ "Tiny town, Marazion, bids to become UK's smallest city". BBC News. 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  46. ^ Edwards, Jade. "Medway announces intention to enter Her Majesty The Queen's city status competition". www.medway.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  47. ^ Dawson, Kristy (2021-12-23). "The surprising places competing against Middlesbrough for city status". TeessideLive. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  48. ^ "Milton Keynes to make fourth bid for city status". BBC News. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  49. ^ "Newport and Carisbrooke's Jubilee city bid: What's next?". Isle of Wight County Press. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  50. ^ "Northampton: City status would see 'special town' flourish". BBC News. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  51. ^ "Oban makes city bid". The Oban Times. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  52. ^ "Reading council submits bid for city status under Platinum Jubilee plans". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  53. ^ "Peel: Isle of Man western town bids for city status". BBC News. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  54. ^ "St Andrews steps up bids for city status as part of Queen's Platinum Jubilee". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  55. ^ Dyson, Kevin (2021-12-26). "South Ayrshire's unique county wide bid for Queen Jubilee city status". Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  56. ^ "38 places Warrington will have to beat to win race to become a city". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  57. ^ "MP backs Warwick's bid for city status". www.warwickshireworld.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  58. ^ "Queen's Platinum Jubilee: Warwick bids for city status". BBC News. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  59. ^ "Wrexham's city status bid plan opposed by protesters". BBC News. 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-28.

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