About 40 locations across the UK have submitted their bids to become a city (File)
London:
A record number of eight locations across the United Kingdom have won prestigious city status through a competition as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the British government announced on Friday.
The civic honors competition was last held 10 years ago to mark the 96th anniversary of the King’s Diamond Jubilee, and this year, for the first time, the competition for city status was open to applications from the Crown Dependency and Overseas Territories. Winners include Stanley of the Falklands and Douglas of the Isle of Man.
Other locations to win the city status bid include Bangor in Northern Ireland, Dunfermline in Scotland, Rexham in Wales and Colchester, Doncaster and Milton Keynes in England.
“The state of the city is a huge compliment and I congratulate our eight brilliant winners. The competition showcases the best in the UK and overseas and will serve as a lasting legacy to His Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee,” said Nadine Doris, UK Culture Secretary.
The status of the winning city can inspire local communities and open up new opportunities for the people who live there, as in the case of previous winners where residents described how their success contributed to national and global growth, placing them on the international map as a place to do business.
“What became clear to me during the evaluation process of each application was that people felt proud of their community, local cultural heritage and the royal family,” said Steve Berkeley, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who was part of the evaluation process. .
Applications opened last year, and about 40 locations across the UK and beyond have submitted their bids to become a city.
The “Letters Patent” will now be prepared, which will officially award each prize and be presented to the winners later in the year.
Applicants in the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honors Competition must show how their unique community and distinct local identity means they deserve city status.
They also needed to highlight their royal associations and cultural heritage.
Competitions for the status of the city have been held in each of the last three jubilee years with previous winners, including Chelmsford, Lisbourne and Newport.
The United Kingdom is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II this year, with a series of platinum jubilee celebrations and events planned throughout the year.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)
