Town weighs up city bid
IPSWICH: Senior figures at the borough were today weighing up whether to launch the town’s fourth city bid in 20 years.
The Cabinet Office in London confirmed that a new city will be created in 2012 to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – and the borough was deciding whether to mount a fresh bid.
Ipswich tried for city status in 1992, when Sunderland won to mark the 40th anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the throne.
In 2000 Brighton and Wolverhampton became cities to mark the Millennium and in 2002 Preston became a city to mark the Golden Jubilee – Ipswich applied every time.
Borough council leader Liz Harsant said today that she would be discussing a possible application with chief executive Russell Williams.
She said: “I suspect whether we apply will depend on how much effort we have to put into the application – I don’t think this is the time for a major campaign like we have mounted in the past.
“In these austere times we can’t afford the time or the money to allow staff to spend too much time working on a city bid – but we may put in an application anyway if it does not require too much work.”
Most Read
- 1 Woman jailed for having sex with Ipswich schoolboy
- 2 Police launch appeal to identify man after incident in Ipswich
- 3 Group of youths seen carrying weapons in Ipswich park
- 4 Animal sex charges against Kesgrave vet dropped, but child images admitted
- 5 Ice cream kiosk at Suffolk beauty spot destroyed in arson
- 6 Food review, La Cueva, Ipswich: 'Delicious food... and sparkly cocktails!'
- 7 Education 'exemplary' at Outstanding Ipswich academy
- 8 Jail for Ipswich man who stole £2,000 worth of goods from Suffolk stores
- 9 First look at 172-bed student accommodation plan
- 10 Police stop two vans overloaded by more than a ton each in Ipswich
The Cabinet Office has urged local authorities to send in a document with a four-page introduction, a 20-page profile of the area, 50 photographs, and two maps.
Mrs Harsant said: “That does not sound too excessive, but I will have to discuss things with Russell (Williams) before we take any decision.”
The application has to be received by the Cabinet Office in London by the end of May next year, so authorities have six months to decide whether to mount a bid.
n Should Ipswich make another city bid? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
