Goole: Town fails for second time in bid for city status

Goole in East Yorkshire last bid for city status at the time of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012

A town has been "left behind to decay" after missing out on city status for a second time, a business owner has said.

Goole, in East Yorkshire, was one of 38 towns which had bid to become a city as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Officials had previously said the process offered an exciting opportunity to promote and champion the town, irrespective of the outcome.

Vape shop manager and life-long Goole resident Carl Byard, 35, said the town had really needed the recognition.

On Friday, eight new cities were officially named, including nearby Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

Goole had previously bid for city status at the time of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

With the news that the town had failed in its latest bid, Mr Byard said: "When I was a kid, there was hustle and bustle. Now it just looks like a ghost town."

Life-long Goole resident Carl Byard said the town needed the recognition of city status

However, friends Jess Saddler, 32, and Tammy Taylor, 46, said their hometown of Goole did not deserve the accolade, with Doncaster being the town's bigger brother.

Ms Taylor said: "We haven't got the shops here, more and more are closing down. We go to Doncaster to shop now.

"I don't think Goole needs city status. It's a little town, a nice town, but it's not a city."

Meanwhile, Ms Saddler said: "I don't think we need to push for city status when there are more towns who deserve it, like Doncaster."

But, Mr Byard said city status could jump-start Goole, with larger businesses feeling the town was "worth a shot".

"We've got so many empty shops, it's not looking good for this town. We should keep applying. We deserve it," he said.

Friends Jess Saddler and Tammy Taylor said Goole did not deserve the city status accolade

Earlier this year, an advert released by Halifax Bank was criticised for painting an unrealistic picture of Goole's high street.

At the time, resident Florence Scott said: "Goole is struggling like a lot of towns are struggling, especially after the pandemic.

"It's a great place in a beautiful part of the country and it has a lot of potential."

A record number of eight places are being made cities.

As well as Doncaster, Colchester and Milton Keynes in England, Bangor in Northern Ireland, Dunfermline in Scotland and Wrexham in Wales are all being similarly honoured, along with Douglas on the Isle of Man and Stanley in the Falkland Islands.