Delegates at November’s online Trades Council meeting discussed the announcement that Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council intended to participate in the “Platinum Jubilee Civic Honour Competition” and seek a grant of “city status”
It was noted that this status is purely “honorific”, and that it entailed no actual change in features such as political structure or income. The hope is that there would be positive “intangible” consequences, such as that it would amplify the Borough’s voice and “noticeability”, help with “marketing” and encourage economic investment. Opinion is a little hesitant on all these fronts. Professor Steven Musson, Head of Reading University School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, has commented “The evidence linking city status to economic success is mixed. For every place that experiences growth after becoming a city, there are others that don’t see direct economic benefits”. “The Leader”, on 22nd October, reported that Wrexham Council received a Report that said “there is no evidence that having city status boosts population, jobs or the general local economy. It …compared…five new cities to past bidders, existing cities over a longer period and existing towns (and) found that those with new city status, while experiencing growth, performed worse than some of the comparator groups when it came to economic growth”.
Delegates felt that there was no harm in trying – and that there was no suggestion that being recognised as a “city” could make matters any worse.
There was, nevertheless, a strong reaction against the suggestion – made in several press reports – that the “city bid” would cover Blackburn only, and not the entire Borough.
We were at a loss to see where this suggested partition came from or how it had been decided upon. Our recollection is that the last bid for “city status” covered the entire Borough. We have looked at the minutes of the Borough’s Council Forum and Executive Board since the completion was announced and can see no discussion there covering either the competition or the idea of applying only for Blackburn. We have looked at the minutes of the Darwen Town Council and can see no evidence of their indicating a desire to resile from the project.
So far as we can see, instances in the UK of “cities” being components within wider local government structures tend to occur only in respect of the smaller “historical” places, like St Davids and Armagh. Where larger settlements are involved, it is more often the case that cities will cover a conurbation, such as is seen in Stoke-on-Trent and Brighton and Hove. When Rochester merged with Chatham to form Medway Borough Council, letters patent were granted extending the city charter to the whole of the new borough council area
The cause of seeking city status can hardly be advanced by reducing the size of the population involved. In respect of the required reference to our “record of innovation”, including Darwen would enable inclusion of Samuel Crompton, whose “mule” was fundamental to the production of cotton thread that could be used for both warp and weft and was consequently a foundation of the production of cloth in industrial quantities.
A main motivation for seeking city status must surely be that of trying to redress the balance of attention given to us, even within the North West, where – as we have seen with Transport for the North – our entire sub-Region is easily left low down in the league of priorities. The benefits sought from “city status” are of relevance to both of our industrial towns, and we should not allow Darwen to be side-lined by the exercise.
The Trades Council agreed to write to the Borough Council to express its concerns on the matter.