DUDLEY’S new council leader has defended a last-minute bid to turn the borough into a city despite critics branding the idea a “joke”.

Cllr Les Jones says he decided just a day after getting the top job that Dudley should enter a competition for a chance to see the borough bestowed with city status as part of celebrations surrounding the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Stourbridge Tory says the scheme would bring “benefits and opportunities to the borough” but readers voting in a poll on our website have voted overwhelmingly against the idea - with one accusing the council of “delusions of grandeur”.

A massive 72 per cent of the 346 who voted gave the thumbs down to the plan - and cllr Jones has come under fire for rushing the bid through without public consultation but he told the News this week he’d rather be “criticised for trying than not bothering at all”.

He said: “I only found out about it when I became group leader for the Conservatives in Dudley. We only had one day in which to make a decision and four days to get the bid together.

“If we hadn’t made the bid you could be looking at a decade or more before we got the opportunity again. It’s a long shot - there will be a lot of competition for it, but essentially the bid is to try and bring benefits and opportunities to the borough. I can’t see how that can be a bad thing.

“I did discuss it with the rest of the cabinet and the general view was that it was a good idea. There was virtually no cost involved.

“I hope people will start getting on board with it - I hope they will come along with us.”

Cllr Jones stressed consideration was taken to ensure the borough’s four main towns would keep their individual identity.

And he added: “We have exciting regeneration proposals across all of our towns and it must be recognised that city status is more than just a name change as it also holds great value when it comes to attracting investment from abroad.”

However, many readers posting on our website have branded the bid a “joke”.

The Villan, Stourbridge, said: “They have got to be joking. The TOWN centre is a terrible place.

“Looking at the other entrants, Dudley has no chance. Stourbridge and the others would be swallowed up. Dudley MBC put your own house in order before these delusions of grandeur.”

Dudley Bloke, Dudley, added: “City status, are you having a loff!!!”....come on what are you thinking about, the Borough or yourselves?

While yeti75, Dudley, said: “I can’t see Dudley being granted city status, how can a run down town centre even be considered!!??”

Dudley Labour front bencher, councillor Tim Crumpton, also slammed the proposal as a “non-starter” and dubbed the bid, submitted last Friday (May 27), a publicity stunt.

He said: “It’s not wrong to have put the bid in, but there are more important things to be worrying about as the council is losing hundreds of jobs.”

Black Country Tory MPs Margot James (Stourbridge) and Chris Kelly (Dudley South) are both backing the bid by Dudley which is just one of many locations across the UK vying for city status.

The winner will be announced in the first half of 2012.