Ivo
Established Member
I've just done some research on Google with regards to City Status for next year (30 minutes' worth!), and have come across 26 towns (only one of which is in each of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) that are set to apply if they have not already. The deadline for applications is the 27th of this month, so any authority that has not yet submitted their proposal had better get a move on!
Anyway, the list of towns/authorities I have found that are interested runs thusly:
Ballymena
Blackpool
Bolton
Bury St Edmunds
Chelmsford
Cheltenham
Colchester
Corby
Croydon
Doncaster
Dorchester
Dover
Gateshead
Guildford
Ipswich
Luton
Medway
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Perth
Reading
Southend-on-Sea
St Austell
Stockport
Swindon
Wrexham
I have also seen many rumoured entries, but nothing official from the likes of Birkenhead, Maidstone, Northampton, Shrewsbury, Warrington and others.
So here is a quick evaluation of the chances of each location. I suspect some will disagree, but we'll see!
I have also indicated the top 8 in my opinion.
Ballymena: Likely to struggle against the larger English opposition. I can't see a town in Northern Ireland winning after two applicants were awarded City Status last time (for political reasons).
Blackpool: One of the more likely candidates in my opinion. Undergoing massive regeneration and also a part of one of the largest conurbations in the country to not have a city. But Preston's victory last time could hurt it owing to their proximity to one another.
Bolton: Possible on size grounds, but I can't see a Metropolitan Borough winning when only one winner is expected.
Bury St Edmunds: A surprise entrant I feel, but it has the history and importance to press on and can also claim to be one of the few Cathedral Towns in existence. Likely to be overshadowed by Ipswich though.
Chelmsford: Among the favourites for me. No location on the A12 has City Status (it does not reach London), and Chelmsford is a decent match for Preston in terms of history, connections and more. 3rd
Cheltenham: A decent bet. Cheltenham certainly feels like a city and has the heritage (if only in horse racing!) to match. But the presence of nearby Gloucester would suggest that Cheltenham will not win while large city-free expanses such as Essex and Suffolk combined still exist.
Colchester: Britain's oldest recorded town has an interesting claim to the title - "Oldest Recorded Town... and Newest City". Many in the town do not feel that they should be a city, for it could damage the town's heritage. But as the capital of Roman Britain, surely Colchester has as good a case as any? 8th
Corby: I would be very surprised if Corby win. An industrial town with a poor reputation, there are more suitable candidates in this list.
Croydon: Of all the areas in large conurbations Croydon is the most likely for me. It is effectively London's third area (although Stratford will soon be in a position to challenge that) and has plenty of history, including a former airport among others. But is it independent enough?
Doncaster: Likely. Donny has plenty about it that would make for a good city, including culture, heritage, transport and more. 4th
Dorchester: An interesting one, Dorchester is the long-time county town of one of England's few counties to not have a city. With no city around for mile after mile, location-wish Dorchester has a decent shout, and it has history to go with it (thanks in part to Thomas Hardy). But could its size be a drawback?
Dover: A transport hub with tourist implications owing to the white cliffs, Dover is also Britain's primary link with the rest of the world. But Dover is known for little else and is not exactly large. Not to mention the small matter of nearby Canterbury...
Gateshead: A fair shout, but as noted previously I doubt a Metropolitan Borough would win. Would it really be fair for three of the five Tyne & Wear authorities to be cities - when the likes of Reading and Swindon are ignored?
Guildford: You would be forgiven for thinking Guildford already was a city - until you visit there. Guildford has history and it has commerce, but it lacks culture and heritage. Still, with no city for miles around, it has to have a decent shout. 6th
Ipswich: Another entrant from the massive Anglian expanse to not have a city. Ipswich has plenty going for it, and is a transport hub with its links to each of London, Birmingham, Norwich and Felixstowe. 7th
Luton: Luton has a poor reputation that often deters potential visitors. It has excellent links, courtesy of its airport, but otherwise little to suggest it could readily acquire City Status, and also has the small matter of St Albans on its doorstep. The weakest of the large town bids for me.
Medway: Rochester is a former city that would have been celebrating its 800th anniversary as a city this year had it not been for Medway. The council want the status back, but surely Rochester's history alone is not enough? There is precedent for multiple towns being awarded City Status, but there's a difference between Brighton & Hove and Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Rochester and Strood...
Middlesbrough: A fair bet, but another with a somewhat weak reputation. Middlesbrough has a good history but is lacking in royal connections and to a degree culture.
Milton Keynes: Among the favourites and it's easy to see why. Designed as a city, MK does away with its New Town name and shows that planning actually does work where implemented correctly. But does it have the history? 2nd
Perth: Flying the flag for Scotland is the former city of Perth. Perth itself is considered by many locals to be a city anyway, but as with Rochester this alone will not be enough. Could the recent victory of Stirling cause further problems?
Reading: Britain's largest town and a cultural and commercial centre. Reading is a major transport hub and is home to all sorts of businesses, sports clubs, cultural organisations and more. Just about the only thing Reading doesn't have is a cathedral! The A4 has no cities on its route between Westminster and Bath, its original termini. 1st
Southend-on-Sea: A potential dark horse for the title, Southend expect their main rival to be Chelmsford! The subject of a great deal of renovation and with plenty of culture, heritage and history, courtesy of Queen Victoria and others Southend even has a royal connection. In 2007, the council affirmed that they expected to win, and that the Pier will be fire-proof; will the Government agree? 5th
St Austell: A surprise bidder from England's outlying county. St Austell have plenty of support for City Status from Truro, but lack the one thing that truly identifies Truro as a city. Not exactly large and with no major culture, just about the only thing that works in its favour is the Eden Project. But is Truro too close?
Stockport Likely to suffer the same problems as Bolton. Stockport is quite large and possibly worthy of City Status but the presence of Manchester cannot be denied. Does Greater Manchester need more than two cities?
Swindon: Swindon falls for one main reason in my opinion: It is primarily a New/Extended Town and is beaten for the good parts of these to a pulp by Milton Keynes. Swindon has history with railway circles, but this alone is not enough.
Wrexham: The only known Welsh entry, Wrexham already see themselves as a city. It has good history and culture and also reasonable links, even without Wrexham & Shropshire. But is it fair for Wales to have 6 cities - the same as Scotland?
As you can judge from the above, I strongly believe that the winning applicant will be a non-Metropolitan English authority. Reading is my tip, but others also have a decent chance! I have even heard it suggested that an Essex town is likely to win - IF the three decide that only one of them should apply!
Anyway, the list of towns/authorities I have found that are interested runs thusly:
Ballymena
Blackpool
Bolton
Bury St Edmunds
Chelmsford
Cheltenham
Colchester
Corby
Croydon
Doncaster
Dorchester
Dover
Gateshead
Guildford
Ipswich
Luton
Medway
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Perth
Reading
Southend-on-Sea
St Austell
Stockport
Swindon
Wrexham
I have also seen many rumoured entries, but nothing official from the likes of Birkenhead, Maidstone, Northampton, Shrewsbury, Warrington and others.
So here is a quick evaluation of the chances of each location. I suspect some will disagree, but we'll see!
I have also indicated the top 8 in my opinion.Ballymena: Likely to struggle against the larger English opposition. I can't see a town in Northern Ireland winning after two applicants were awarded City Status last time (for political reasons).
Blackpool: One of the more likely candidates in my opinion. Undergoing massive regeneration and also a part of one of the largest conurbations in the country to not have a city. But Preston's victory last time could hurt it owing to their proximity to one another.
Bolton: Possible on size grounds, but I can't see a Metropolitan Borough winning when only one winner is expected.
Bury St Edmunds: A surprise entrant I feel, but it has the history and importance to press on and can also claim to be one of the few Cathedral Towns in existence. Likely to be overshadowed by Ipswich though.
Chelmsford: Among the favourites for me. No location on the A12 has City Status (it does not reach London), and Chelmsford is a decent match for Preston in terms of history, connections and more. 3rd
Cheltenham: A decent bet. Cheltenham certainly feels like a city and has the heritage (if only in horse racing!) to match. But the presence of nearby Gloucester would suggest that Cheltenham will not win while large city-free expanses such as Essex and Suffolk combined still exist.
Colchester: Britain's oldest recorded town has an interesting claim to the title - "Oldest Recorded Town... and Newest City". Many in the town do not feel that they should be a city, for it could damage the town's heritage. But as the capital of Roman Britain, surely Colchester has as good a case as any? 8th
Corby: I would be very surprised if Corby win. An industrial town with a poor reputation, there are more suitable candidates in this list.
Croydon: Of all the areas in large conurbations Croydon is the most likely for me. It is effectively London's third area (although Stratford will soon be in a position to challenge that) and has plenty of history, including a former airport among others. But is it independent enough?
Doncaster: Likely. Donny has plenty about it that would make for a good city, including culture, heritage, transport and more. 4th
Dorchester: An interesting one, Dorchester is the long-time county town of one of England's few counties to not have a city. With no city around for mile after mile, location-wish Dorchester has a decent shout, and it has history to go with it (thanks in part to Thomas Hardy). But could its size be a drawback?
Dover: A transport hub with tourist implications owing to the white cliffs, Dover is also Britain's primary link with the rest of the world. But Dover is known for little else and is not exactly large. Not to mention the small matter of nearby Canterbury...
Gateshead: A fair shout, but as noted previously I doubt a Metropolitan Borough would win. Would it really be fair for three of the five Tyne & Wear authorities to be cities - when the likes of Reading and Swindon are ignored?
Guildford: You would be forgiven for thinking Guildford already was a city - until you visit there. Guildford has history and it has commerce, but it lacks culture and heritage. Still, with no city for miles around, it has to have a decent shout. 6th
Ipswich: Another entrant from the massive Anglian expanse to not have a city. Ipswich has plenty going for it, and is a transport hub with its links to each of London, Birmingham, Norwich and Felixstowe. 7th
Luton: Luton has a poor reputation that often deters potential visitors. It has excellent links, courtesy of its airport, but otherwise little to suggest it could readily acquire City Status, and also has the small matter of St Albans on its doorstep. The weakest of the large town bids for me.
Medway: Rochester is a former city that would have been celebrating its 800th anniversary as a city this year had it not been for Medway. The council want the status back, but surely Rochester's history alone is not enough? There is precedent for multiple towns being awarded City Status, but there's a difference between Brighton & Hove and Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Rochester and Strood...
Middlesbrough: A fair bet, but another with a somewhat weak reputation. Middlesbrough has a good history but is lacking in royal connections and to a degree culture.
Milton Keynes: Among the favourites and it's easy to see why. Designed as a city, MK does away with its New Town name and shows that planning actually does work where implemented correctly. But does it have the history? 2nd
Perth: Flying the flag for Scotland is the former city of Perth. Perth itself is considered by many locals to be a city anyway, but as with Rochester this alone will not be enough. Could the recent victory of Stirling cause further problems?
Reading: Britain's largest town and a cultural and commercial centre. Reading is a major transport hub and is home to all sorts of businesses, sports clubs, cultural organisations and more. Just about the only thing Reading doesn't have is a cathedral! The A4 has no cities on its route between Westminster and Bath, its original termini. 1st
Southend-on-Sea: A potential dark horse for the title, Southend expect their main rival to be Chelmsford! The subject of a great deal of renovation and with plenty of culture, heritage and history, courtesy of Queen Victoria and others Southend even has a royal connection. In 2007, the council affirmed that they expected to win, and that the Pier will be fire-proof; will the Government agree? 5th
St Austell: A surprise bidder from England's outlying county. St Austell have plenty of support for City Status from Truro, but lack the one thing that truly identifies Truro as a city. Not exactly large and with no major culture, just about the only thing that works in its favour is the Eden Project. But is Truro too close?
Stockport Likely to suffer the same problems as Bolton. Stockport is quite large and possibly worthy of City Status but the presence of Manchester cannot be denied. Does Greater Manchester need more than two cities?
Swindon: Swindon falls for one main reason in my opinion: It is primarily a New/Extended Town and is beaten for the good parts of these to a pulp by Milton Keynes. Swindon has history with railway circles, but this alone is not enough.
Wrexham: The only known Welsh entry, Wrexham already see themselves as a city. It has good history and culture and also reasonable links, even without Wrexham & Shropshire. But is it fair for Wales to have 6 cities - the same as Scotland?
As you can judge from the above, I strongly believe that the winning applicant will be a non-Metropolitan English authority. Reading is my tip, but others also have a decent chance! I have even heard it suggested that an Essex town is likely to win - IF the three decide that only one of them should apply!
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