Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Warrington to bid for city status

Councillor Russ Bowden said Warrington had "a strong case" to become a city

Warrington is to bid for city status as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The council's cabinet is set to approve plans to put forward a bid at a meeting next week.

A report from council leader Russ Bowden said city status for Warrington would "signify" its proud industrial and manufacturing heritage.

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

In the report to the council's cabinet, Mr Bowden said Warrington had "a strong case" to become a city and said the area's economic status set it apart, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The report said the bid was not "about changing the uniqueness of Warrington as a great place to live, work and visit" but "about being proud of our place now, our reach and influence across the globe, but also about our longer term ambition of inclusive growth and wellbeing".

It will cost £4,000 to prepare the bid and a further £800 for photographs to support the application, according to the report.

• Doncaster announces bid for city status

• Crewe to bid for city status under Jubilee plans

• Warwick to bid for city status

Warrington will become the second Cheshire town to put forward a bid, after Crewe announced it was to put its name forward last week.

It has already been announced that Southend-on-Sea will become the UK's 52nd city, in honour of MP Sir David Amess who was killed during a meeting with constituents in October.

Doncaster and Warwick have announced they plan to bid.

Three towns - Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph - were granted city status in 2012 to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Cheshire currently has one city, Chester.