For South Yorkshire folk, it’ll feel like a long time coming – but Doncaster has officially put in a fresh bid to receive city status, as part as a new scheme which will see the Queen grant city status to a number of British towns next June.
39 locations have submitted themselves to be considered this year, including Doncaster, Goole, and Middlesbrough – each of which would massively benefit from a likely cash injection in the spirit of “levelling up”, should they be granted city status.
The towns would join 69 existing cities in the UK – with no limit on the number of towns that can be selected and upgraded by the Queen.
Coinciding with the Queen’s Jubilee, a panel will select the towns they deem worthy to be granted city status, based on a number of factors such as cultural heritage, traditions and identity, as well as any links to royalty or even famous local residents.
Locals will know already that Doncaster has produced the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Louis Tomlinson and the Chuckle Brothers, while Middlesbrough birthed Bob Mortimer and Goole, Roy Clarke – writer of Last of the Summer Wine.
Speaking of their decision to enter after years of efforts with Doncaster Minster, Doncaster Sheffield Airport and its college, Doncaster Council said: “We believe we are special in wanting to be a city of places – our villages and town have their strong identities and perspectives, history and landmarks – and to unite this with city status for the whole borough would, we believe, add another benefit to this great borough.
“Achieving City Status would help attract more investment for Doncaster and improve opportunities and life chances for our residents and communities, whilst celebrating our diversity and everything that makes Doncaster so special.
“This is what we were told during our Doncaster Talks conversations over the last two years by local people who want to see real opportunities and ambition for future generations.”
Cities will be selected in June 2022.
What locations have applied for city status?
- Alcester, Warwickshire
- Ballymena, County Antrim
- Bangor, County Down
- Blackburn, Lancashire
- Bolsover, Derbyshire
- Boston, Lincolnshire
- Bournemouth, Dorset
- Coleraine, County Londonderry
- Colchester, Essex
- Crawley, West Sussex
- Crewe, Cheshire
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Dorchester, Dorset
- Douglas, Isle of Man
- Dudley, West Midlands
- Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
- Dunfermline, Fife
- Elgin, Moray
- George Town, Cayman Islands
- Gibraltar
- Goole, East Yorkshire
- Greenock, Renfrewshire
- Guildford, Surrey
- Livingston, West Lothian
- Marazion, Cornwall
- Medway, Kent
- Middlesbrough, Teesside
- Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
- Newport and Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight
- Northampton, Northamptonshire
- Oban, Argyll and Bute
- Reading, Berkshire
- Peel, Isle of Man
- St Andrews, Fife
- South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran
- Stanley, Falkland Islands
- Warrington, Cheshire
- Warwick, Warwickshire
- Wrexham, North Wales
[Featured image: St George’s Minster, Doncaster, UK/Wikimedia Commons/Frees/CC0 1.0]
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