Queen's Platinum Jubilee: Warwick bids for city status

If Warwick's bid is successful it will become Britain's 12th smallest city by population

Warwick is to apply for city status under the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The council said the move would "elevate the town's profile nationally and internationally and enhance its attractiveness as a place to live".

It listed attributes as a castle and other historic buildings, a racecourse and "a rich history that has many connections to the Royal Family".

It also pointed to 11 cities that had a smaller population than Warwick.

The Queen is due to confer city status on one or more towns in 2022 to mark her 70-year reign.

Warwick Castle is listed among the town's attributes

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Warwick has been the county town of Warwickshire for more than 1,000 years, and councillor Noel Butler, the deputy leader of Warwick Town Council, said: "The Civic Honours competition is the perfect opportunity for Warwick to showcase its civic pride, our historic and cultural identity."

For taxpayers, the authority said, there would be no cost to enter the contest, and added the government had told applicants not to undergo unnecessary expense in putting together bids.

The deadline is in early December and then government ministers will make their recommendations, with the final decision made by the Queen.

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