NEWPORT is one of 12 cities hoping to be given Lord Mayoralty or Provostship status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Civic Honours competition will see winning towns granted city status and current cities given Lord Mayoralty - or, in Scotland, Provostship - status, for the first time in 10 years.

Newport, which previously won city status to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, is the only city in Wales to have applied for Lord Mayor status.

If succcessful, this would mean the council has the power to appoint a Lord Mayor. The role would be the same in function as the existing role of mayor, but would have special recognition from the Queen, or any future monarch.

Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of the council, said: “As we approach the twentieth anniversary of Newport receiving city status, we feel the time was right to apply for our first citizen to have the honour of using a title that befits that status.

“We’re delighted to have the support of the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent for our application which, if successful, will see us become the third city in Wales to have Lord Mayoralty status conferred upon us.”

The other 11 cities which applied for Lord Provost/Lord Mayor status are:

  • Bath, Somerset
  • Derby, Derbyshire
  • Gloucester, Gloucestershire
  • Inverness, Inverness
  • Lancaster, Lancashire
  • Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Perth, Perth and Kinross
  • Southampton, Hampshire
  • Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
  • Wolverhampton, West Midlands
  • Worcester, Worcestershire

39 places across the UK and British Overseas Territories – including Wrexham - could be granted city status as part of a competition which is part of celebrations to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.

As part of their bids, applicants were asked to talk about the distinct identity and community which they feel means their area deserves to become a city, as well as evidence of links to royalty.

Unlike previous Civic Honours competitions, an expert panel will work closely with ministers to make their recommendations, which will then be approved by the Queen.

For the first time ever, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were also eligible to apply for the title, with entries including Stanley in the Falkland Islands, George Town in the Cayman Islands, and Gibraltar.

The final decision will be made and announced in spring 2022.

OTHER NEWS:

The places which applied for city status are:

  • Alcester, Warwickshire
  • Ballymena, County Antrim
  • Bangor, County Down
  • Blackburn, Lancashire
  • Bolsover, Derbyshire
  • Boston, Lincolnshire
  • Bournemouth, Dorset
  • Coleraine, County Londonderry
  • Colchester, Essex
  • Crawley, West Sussex
  • Crewe, Cheshire
  • Doncaster, South Yorkshire
  • Dorchester, Dorset
  • Douglas, Isle of Man
  • Dudley, West Midlands
  • Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
  • Dunfermline, Fife
  • Elgin, Moray
  • George Town, Cayman Islands
  • Gibraltar, Gibraltar
  • Goole, East Yorkshire
  • Greenock, Renfrewshire
  • Guildford, Surrey
  • Livingston, West Lothian
  • Marazion, Cornwall
  • Medway, Kent
  • Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
  • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
  • Newport and Carisbrooke, Hampshire
  • Northampton, Northamptonshire
  • Oban, Argyll and Bute
  • Reading, Berkshire
  • Peel, Isle of Man
  • St Andrews, Fife
  • Stanley, Falkland Islands
  • South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran
  • Warrington, Cheshire
  • Warwick, Warwickshire
  • Wrexham, Clwyd