Borough leaders praise despite city disappointment
Senior Dudley figures have praised people for backing the ambition of the ‘city bid’ despite missing out on the coveted status.
Dudley, regarded as the historic capital of the Black Country, submitted the bid for ‘city status’ as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations this year.
The bid highlighted the borough’s unrivalled history and celebrated geology, which is visited by experts from all over the world.
The submission also highlighted the £1billion racing regeneration programme including Metro, Very Light Rail and a university campus which are taking shape as well its part in the internationally renowned Black Country GeoPark.
People from across the borough came forward to share their images of Dudley as part of the bid and shared the ambitions for the borough to be recognised as a city.
Today eight areas across the country have been recognised as cities as part of the jubilee celebrations, but Dudley was not one of them. Doncaster, Milton Keynes and Colchester were among the successful cities.
The leader of Dudley Council said today he was “inspired” by the people of the borough who shared the council’s high ambition and aspirations.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said:
We have a very clear and ambitious vision for the Dudley borough. We expect the best and so do the people who live and work here. This bid was about showing what level our thinking is – we regard ourselves as one of the leading authorities in the country, both from our unparalleled history but also our incredible portfolio of regeneration projects which are all progressing very well. Of course, we are disappointed not to be included in the list of cities but I think what we have demonstrated is how highly we regard this borough and many others share that view, and that is very inspiring.
The Mayor of Dudley, regarded as the borough’s first citizen, said the bid had hopefully united people in celebrating all that is “bostin’” about this borough.
Councillor Sue Greenaway, Mayor of Dudley, added:
We set out to raise the profile of this borough and that is exactly what we have done. We were unsuccessful with the bid but we were successful in shouting about how bostin’ Dudley is as a place to live, work and visit. Congratulations to all of the successful cities who were named as part of the Queen’s jubilee.
The full list of successful cities:
Bangor, Northern Ireland
Colchester, England
Doncaster, England
Douglas, Isle of Man
Dunfermline, Scotland
Milton Keynes, England
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Wrexham, Wales