Boston misses out on city status

Eight places have been selected to get city status as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, but unfortunately Lincolnshire’s only entry – Boston – was “hugely disappointed” to miss out.

Boston’s application identified the town’s recent growth in the food industry, plus the investment from the Boston Town Deal fund. It emphasised history and heritage and its connections with our twinned partner places across the globe.

Her Majesty the Queen approved the competition to grant city status to select a number of towns in the UK, for the first time in a decade. All applicants were judged on civic pride, heritage and innovation.

Eight places in the UK won the royal honour this year, which is the highest number of awards in a single competition. They are:

• Bangor, Northern Ireland
• Colchester, England
• Doncaster, England
• Douglas, Isle of Man
• Dunfermline, Scotland
• Milton Keynes, England
• Stanley, Falkland Islands
• Wrexham, Wales

The competition to receive civic honours was last run ten years ago to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and this year for the first time ever the competition for city status was open to applications from the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, with the Falklands’ Stanley and Douglas on the Isle of Man among the winners.

The Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition required applicants to demonstrate how their unique communities and distinct local identity meant they deserved to be awarded city status. They were also required to highlight their royal associations and cultural heritage.

Michelle Sacks, deputy chief executive (growth) at Boston Borough Council, said: “There is some disappointment that we were not chosen as one of the new cities, but it has been a wonderful experience to prepare the submission and showcase the very best Boston has to offer.

“It has been a huge privileged to see the support so many people from so many walks of life have given to the amazing ambition we all collectively share for Boston.

“It has certainly raised our profile and we continue to work hard with our partners and community to celebrate why Boston is an amazing place to live, work, visit and invest in and our focus moves forward to the next opportunity, which will be submitting the Levelling Up submission very soon and we will be seeking views on the proposals prior to the deadline.”