Third time unlucky! Guildford misses out on city status again
It's third time unlucky for Guildford as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee civic honours of official cities is announced.
Six new cities have been announced across the UK mainland but Guildford is not on the list and will remain a town.
The lucky towns becoming cities include Colchester, Milton Keynes and Doncaster.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore, said:
"Of course, we’re disappointed our bid for city status was not successful and we wholeheartedly congratulate those towns who received the honour as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
"Working on this bid was a great reminder to all of us of what an incredible place the county town of Guildford is, with a unique blend of beautiful heritage, arts and culture, world class education and cutting edge research. The jewel in Surrey’s crown.
"We also have vibrant community spirit, which was demonstrated in extraordinary ways throughout the pandemic. We put the bid together with an amazing group of local partners who all gave up their time to help us to make a submission at no cost while forging new networks and collaborations. Thank you to all involved.
"I’ve always been proud of Guildford and our bid clearly shows what a great place it is to live, visit and work. We continue to build on our strengths for the benefit of our residents, business and visitors."
It's the third time Guildford has tried for city status, with previous attempts in 2000 and 2002.