People power will fuel bid to be city

Council leaders hope it will be third time lucky for one of the biggest towns in Britain.

Bolton's bid, which must be sent in by mid-October, will be centred around people rather than its location or the town's buildings.

Its slogan is likely to be: "Bolton -- Because People Make A City."

Cllr Bob Howarth, leader of Bolton Council, said: "Although 'city' is only a courtesy title it would carry some weight when we come to publicising the area.

"This is an established borough which deserves greater prestige.

"I would hope we could build upon a city status to reduce unemployment and bring greater prosperity."

Bolton's bid organisers have recognised the need to stress the town's links with royalty.

They have asked Bolton people to contact them with examples of royal pride.

A leaked Home Office memo last year described Bolton as "lacking in royal associations and history", an assertion which infuriated local historians.

Richard Hurst, chairman of the Vision for the Future steering group, said: "Becoming a city would put us on the map. There won't be direct financial benefits but there would certainly be indirect ones."

The closing date for bids is October 12 but it is not yet known when a final decision will be made.

It is likely any decision would coincide with the Queen's jubilee celebrations early next year.

But some believe the award will be given next summer in the weeks leading up to the Commonwealth Games -- an event which figures highly in Bolton's bid.

Organisers are keen to stress that the town will host two events: Cycling at Rivington and badminton at Bolton Arena.

The Games will feature in the bid's glossy brochure which is currently in production.

Des Grogan, Bolton Council's assistant director of central services, said: "We've spoken to other towns which have become cities in the past and they say there has been a marked increase in civic pride.

"Cities tend to be more attractive to large companies.

"The big players in Japan and the US tend to look at cities as vibrant, lively places and are more likely to locate in them."

Dr Brian Iddon, MP for Bolton South-east, is also supporting the bid.

But he said: "There will be benefits, although I also think that the more cities there are, the less benefits each one will receive."

The town has been disappointed twice in previous contests. Last year, it lost out to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton in the bid to become a city for the Millennium.

The blow followed another unsuccessful application in 1992 when Sunderland triumphed.

Since then, Bolton has regained a Premiership football team despite still battling to gain a university.

David Crausby, MP for Bolton North-east, said: "University status and being a city seem to go hand in hand.

"Bolton is a far more important place than many of the country's cities but it doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

"I supported the last bid and I will support this one too because it can only be good for the economy and for attracting new business.

Council leaders believe that, as one of Britain's largest towns with a population of around 265,000, Bolton cannot continue to be ignored.

The three main criteria for city status, agreed by the Queen, are "notable features including regional or national significance", "historical features" and a "forward-looking attitude". Boom times for city that once had a grimy image SUNDERLAND'S council leader has backed Bolton's bid for city status.

Colin Anderson, who saw his town become a thriving city in 1992, said: "Bolton deserves to make that step up the ladder."

Over the past nine years, Sunderland had gone from strength to strength, attracting investment and lots of publicity.

Yet during the 1980s the area had been left devastated by the loss of its two major industries, shipbuilding and coal mining.

Unemployment rose and crime rates shot up. The area battled to shed its grimy image.

But undeterred, the town decided to aim for city status in 1992 -- the third time civic leaders had tried following unsuccessful attempts in the 1930s and the early 1980s.

Mr Anderson said: "The city has boomed since 1992 and we've really made a big play on the fact that we're not a town any more.

"We advertise the city in America, explaining what the place is like and that the Queen decided it should be given a higher status. In the States that has a lot of weight.

"Investment has rocketed since then and unemployment has nosedived."

Recognition

Since 1992, Sunderland has:

Gained a university;

Become the European base for sportswear giant Nike;

Created a business park employing 7,200 people;

Seen investment of £100 million from Detroit-based automotive manufacturer TRW;

Attracted Barclays Bank and One-to-One to set up large centres;

Built a £70 million shopping centre with big name stores.

Big businesses have been attracted by the kudos of locating in the new city.

At the same time, its museum, park and library underwent renovation.

Mr Anderson said: "City status gave us recognition. Somebody from outside the area placed a big tick next to our name and that made our people more proud.

"Before then I doubt many people knew where we were geographically, but we're now the biggest city between Leeds and Edinburgh, even bigger than Newcastle -- and with a better football team too."

Many believe Bolton's proximity to Manchester could be a downfall to the town's bid.

But Mr Anderson, who believes 13,000 jobs have been created since 1992, said: "There's no reason why Bolton can't achieve its aim. Sunderland is 13 miles from Newcastle while Bolton is 10 miles from Manchester. Bolton is an incredibly similar town to Sunderland. I wish it the best of luck next year."