Dudley bids for city status

In 2012 one borough in Britain will be honoured city status to mark the Queen’s Jubilee and Dudley will be among a number of places putting a bid in ahead of tomorrow’s 4pm deadline.

Speaking about the decision to put forward the borough, leader of the council, Councillor Les Jones said the area boasts a history which others envy.

He said: "We are proud of our borough and with a population of more than 300,000 we feel that our bid is entirely justified.

"Our history and heritage dates back millions of years with a geological make-up which laid the foundations for us being at the heart of the industrial revolution.

“The city status designation is being made to mark the Queen's Jubilee and we also have many royal connections and history. This includes a reference in the Domesday book of 1086 and of course our medieval castle which is certainly the jewel in our crown.”

Councillor Jones also stressed that careful consideration had been taken to ensure the borough’s four main towns kept their individual identity, before the decision was taken to submit the bid.

He said: “The nature of our bid has been carefully considered as our borough is made up of four main township areas, all of which must maintain their own unique, individual identity.

“In addition to Dudley town centre we have Stourbridge, with its fantastic glass making heritage, the recently regenerated Halesowen and of course, Brierley Hill which is the focus of long-term regeneration plans and home to a superb retail offer in the form of Merry Hill.

“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.”

The bid will be submitted tomorrow and the winners will be announced in the first half of 2012.

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