Crewe officially in running to become a city
The Cheshire town is one of 39 areas hoping to be granted city status
Last updated 23rd Dec 2021
Crewe is officially in the running to become a city!
Thirty-nine places across the UK and British Overseas Territories are trying to get city status as part of a competition to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Bournemouth, Reading, Doncaster and Blackburn are some of the other towns in England wishing to be granted the status.
In Scotland, eight areas have applied, including Dumfries and St Andrews, and in Wales, Wrexham has submitted a bid.
In Northern Ireland, Ballymena, Coleraine and Bangor are in the competition.
For the first time ever, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were also eligible to apply for the title.
Stanley in the Falkland Islands, almost 8,000 miles away, is one of the places to apply, and there are also entries from George Town in the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar.
Some of the other cities applying are Bath, Inverness, Newport and Lancaster.
The competition is part of celebrations to mark the Queen's historic 70-year reign, with a special four-day bank holiday weekend set to start on Thursday 2nd June.
As part of their bids, applicants were asked to talk about the distinct identity and community which they feel means their area deserves to become a city, as well as evidence of links to royalty.
Unlike previous Civic Honours competitions, an expert panel will work closely with ministers to make their recommendations, which will then be approved by the Queen herself!
The final decision will be taken in spring 2022 and announced shortly afterwards.
Here are all of the places that applied for city status:
England
- Alcester, Warwickshire
- Blackburn, Lancashire
- Bolsover, Derbyshire
- Boston, Lincolnshire
- Bournemouth, Dorset
- Colchester, Essex
- Crawley, West Sussex
- Crewe, Cheshire
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Dorchester, Dorset
- Dudley, West Midlands
- Goole, East Yorkshire
- Guildford, Surrey
- Marazion, Cornwall
- Medway, Kent
- Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
- Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
- Newport and Carisbrooke, Hampshire
- Northampton, Northamptonshire
- Reading, Berkshire
- Warrington, Cheshire
- Warwick, Warwickshire
Wales
- Wrexham, Clwyd
Scotland
- Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
- Dunfermline, Fife
- Elgin, Moray
- Greenock, Renfrewshire
- Livingston, West Lothian
- Oban, Argyll and Bute
- St Andrews, Fife
- South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran
N. Ireland
- Ballymena, County Antrim
- Bangor, County Down
- Coleraine, County Londonderry
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
- Douglas, Isle of Man
- George Town, Cayman Islands
- Gibraltar, Gibraltar
- Peel, Isle of Man
- Stanley, Falkland Islands