BID Being Lined Up For Greenock To Be Scotland’s Next City

INVERCLYDE Council officials are proposing that a bid be made for Greenock to be granted city status.

Councillors are being asked to agree that the district enter the town in a competition being held next year as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

A report to be considered next week states: “As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, if members agree, it is proposed that Inverclyde Council formally bids for city status for Greenock and that a bid document…is prepared by officers and submitted to the competition before the 8 December 2021 deadline.

“As a new Scottish city, if successful, a bid from Inverclyde would give the area a seat at the national Scottish Cities Alliance alongside Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth and would be an opportunity for further profile raising for the area.”

The last time a city status contest was held across the UK was in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Twenty-six places entered, with many highlighting the opportunity to raise their profile to encourage visitors and investment as reasons for bidding. Three were chosen, Perth being the only winner in Scotland. Dumfries was the only other Scottish entrant in 2012.

In June 2022 it will be 70 years since the Queen’s reign began, a milestone not achieved by any British monarch previously.