THE ‘vibrant and youthful’ town of Blackburn more than deserves its chance at becoming a city, some of the area’s leading figures have said.

On Friday morning, council bosses announced they would be embarking on a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to get the town the royal seal of approval by entering the race to be designated a city as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

Now, some of the town’s most notable figures, alongside members of the public, have reacted to the news.

Blackburn MP Kate Hollern said: “Blackburn is a youthful, vibrant, and enterprising town with a unique cultural offer and a special place in our national story.

“As a former council leader of Blackburn’s outstanding local authority, I’ve always known it to be a proud and ambitious place that has long been, along with our Preston neighbours, one of Lancashire’s economic powerhouses.

“With its cathedral – a site of incredible history – and the major strides in regeneration in recent years, Blackburn’s centre has more and more the feel a great ‘city centre’.

“City status will of course provide a platform for more funding and development.

“Having made Blackburn my home over 40 years ago, I share in the pride and ambition of our community, and the vision to ensure that we are firmly on the map.” 

The council believes it has built a compelling case for consideration, with the final decision to be made by Her Majesty, on ministerial advice.

The application has taken on board feedback from previous bid applications, in 2000 and 2002, with the council believing it is ‘in a powerful position to be successful’.

They say that residents, community groups, business representatives, and voluntary organisations will be invited to get involved to help create a compelling story which accurately reflects why the town deserves the honour.

Renowned designer Wayne Hemingway, who attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn, said: “It is always good to be ambitious and this thing shows ambition which is the right thing to do.

“Few towns get city status at the first attempt so it should be seen as the first step and a learning process.

“The thing is when you going in for any competition like this it means you have to up your game in a way and push you on.

“It is like an exam, if you want to do well you have got to work at it.

“The town has its own distinctive history in Britain and around the world.

“It has a manufacturing heritage.

“Blackburn also has its own distinctive diverse make-up too.

“It has got a cathedral too but there are 18 cities around the UK that don’t.

“I regularly visit Blackburn for the Festival of Making and throughout the year.

“When you look at the other towns that have been made cities like Stoke and Wolverhampton then why should Blackburn not be?”

Community champion Faz Patel, from Blackburn, said: “We have a beautiful cathedral with a very rich diverse community from all walks of life. There is extensive development within housing, transportation and big growth in the economy which can only benefit Blackburn.

“I have invited many friends from the Middle East and the Asian sub-continent. They have visited Blackburn and enjoyed shopping and visiting many places.

“From being in Blackburn they have used it as a stepping stone to venture out to other places.

“Everyone should get behind the city bid from young and old to make sure we become a new city in 2022.”

The news attracted hundreds of comments from members of the public - and not everyone was so enthusiastic about the prospect of making Blackburn a city.

One user commented on the Lancashire Telegraph website: “Same arguments as put forward on previous occasions and got nowhere.

“To be fair they really only look at places over 200k population and Blackburn is well short of that.

“Expect Milton Keynes to win it.”

Another commented: “In practical terms what difference does it make? Does it come with more funding or access to funds that were previously not available?

“I’m all for places pushing themselves forward for tourism, investment and the like but it’s not clear why this helps. Or is it simply the advertising of the place that comes with it for a short time?”

Someone else said: “Apart from the cathedral and, possibly, Darwen Tower (for those who have the energy to get up there), what tourist attractions does BwD have?”

Another added: “The council’s efforts should be put into cleaning the town up rather than bigging it up. The place is a mess. Make the town worthy of being a city then work to make it a city.”