George Town has missed out on being awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, with Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, becoming the first and only British Overseas Territory town to be granted the status.
Stanley is among a record eight winners selected in the city status competition, which is run on jubilee years. The last competition was held 10 years ago to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
Governor disappointed
Governor Martyn Roper, speaking from London where he is on an official visit, said in a statement, “I know many of you will join me in my disappointment in learning that despite a very strong application George Town has not been successful in achieving City Status.
“I know an incredible amount of work by the Cayman Islands Government went into the application and we were very close. However, there were a considerable amount of applications, 38 bids in total.
“This was also the first time Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were eligible to bid and only one of each was chosen. Stanley, in the Falklands Islands has been successful in the year that also marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.”
This year was the first time the competition was open to applications from the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, and the Cayman Islands was one of only three OT towns to apply for city status, along with the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Douglas in the Isle of Man became the first Crown Dependency to be awarded city status.
Cayman’s UK office, headed by Tasha Ebanks-Garcia, coordinated the bid to apply for status.
Despite George Town failing to make the grade this year, Roper said he was hopeful that it could one day become a city, saying Cayman should take “great pride” in the quality of the application and should look ahead to future bidding rounds.
“I believe we would stand a very good chance at the next round,” he said.
Eight new cities
The eight new cities celebrating their status are:
- Bangor, Northern Ireland
- Colchester, England
- Doncaster, England
- Douglas, Isle of Man
- Dunfermline, Scotland
- Milton Keynes, England
- Stanley, Falkland Islands
- Wrexham, Wales
Eight is the largest number of locations to be awarded city status in a single competition.
In a statement announcing the winners, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay said he was thrilled that some of the places “that make Britain great” had been recognised.
“What was clear to me during the process of assessing each application was the pride that people felt for their communities, local cultural heritage and the Royal Family,” he said.
He added, “It is also incredibly reflective of Her Majesty’s global outlook and years of international service that applicants from the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have been selected as winners for the first time.”
Official celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, to mark her 70th year on the throne, will be held on 3 June, the beginning of a long public-holiday weekend.
Related Videos
