Douglas: Isle of Man's capital makes Queen's Platinum Jubilee city bid

Douglas is the only borough authority on the island, and now it wants to be a city

The Isle of Man's capital has submitted its application to become a city as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Turning Douglas into a city could "attract new investment" and promote it to a "global audience", the leader of the town's council has said.

Claire Wells said the town had a "compelling mix" of history, culture, diversity and "civic pride".

It is the second Manx town to apply, following Peel into the competition.

Local authorities across the UK and its crown dependencies and overseas territories have been invited to take part in the civic honours competition, arranged to mark the jubilee in 2022.

A successful bid by Douglas would see the Isle of Man become the only crown dependency to have a capital city.

Douglas is the island's main port

The town has been home to the Manx parliament since 1869

Sitting on the island's east coast, Douglas is the island's largest town and employment centre, with a population of about 26,000 people.

Home to the Manx parliament of Tynwald, it is also the nation's main port, with ferry connections to the UK, and is the island's only borough.

It became the capital in 1869 after the island's parliament was moved from Castletown and, due to the borough status it gained in 1896, it is the only Manx authority with a mayor.

Ms Wells said Douglas becoming a city would be "an honour" that would "endure for all time".

"To achieve city status... would be an historic moment in the town's long and rich history," she said

She added that it was "a town like no other", which had a "record of innovation and strength of community", and a move to city status could also help attract off-island workers to the "wealth of career opportunities here".