What makes a city a city in the UK is generally a bit of pot-luck mixed in with some favouritism from the Royals. A town doesn’t simply earn city status when it reaches a certain population or, as you may have been told in primary school, builds a cathedral and a university.
In order to become an official city, a place must put in a bid to the reigning monarch and government. Now, Llanelli wants to become Wales’ eighth city, and plans to properly begin its bid this March.
Llanelli, for those not in-the-know, is a market town near Swansea that sits on the Loughor estuary. It has a population of around 35,000 people, which would make it amongst the smallest cities in the country if its bid is successful. The organisers of the campaign are aware they are being ambitious, but believe that the quest for city status could bring a long-awaited spotlight to their home.
Llanelli’s mayor Nick Pearce expressed his support for the cause, saying: ‘I think the big wins will come in the opportunities for more investment and improved services in the town.
‘Like many other places, Llanelli’s post-industrial transition has been long and painful – we have been seeing a slump in the town’s fortunes for quite a while. If successful, I think we will look back on getting city status as the turning point in those fortunes.’
The initiative is being funded by the town’s Chamber of Trade and Commerce. One councillor from the chamber, David Darkin, explained, ‘It's very easy for people to point at the negative things, you could do that about just about anywhere in the UK, but Llanelli's got a lot going for it.’
Wrexham, which has a similar population size to Llanelli, was awarded city status alongside seven others in 2022 to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. King Charles has not yet announced when he will select which city bids are successful, but the residents of this little Welsh town are no doubt hoping that it won’t be too long.
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