Here are the Scottish towns in the mix to become a city in 2022

THE list of 39 towns competing to be awarded city status has been published and seven Scottish towns and an entire district are up for the award which will mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year.

The list comprises 22 towns in England, eight in Scotland, three in Northern Ireland, one in Wales and – controversially – four “overseas” towns. For the first time ever, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were also eligible to apply for the title.

In addition 12 cities around the UK have applied to gain special status which will allow them to have a Lord Mayor or, in Scotland, a Lord Provost. The cities of Inverness and Perth have applied to be awarded a Lord Provostship, joining the four original cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow – it’s worth noting that a Lord Provost outranks a Lord Mayor as he or she is automatically Lord Lieutenant of the city. Scotland’s other existing city, Stirling, did not apply.

An expert panel is reviewing all the bids and a shortlist is likely to be compiled before the final decision will be taken early next year with the successful locations to be announced before the Platinum Jubilee events in June.

DETAILS OF THE SCOTTISH TOWNS, PLEASE?

STRICTLY in alphabetical order, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Elgin, Greenock, Livingston, Oban, St Andrews and South Ayrshire have all submitted bids.

If only for historical reasons, St Andrews, Dumfries and Dunfermline must be high on any shortlist, especially the latter as it was once the capital of Scotland. Livingston as a New Town is the youngest of the applicants but has the largest population, while the people of Elgin and Greenock will no doubt contend that their place in Scottish history should be recognised.

South Ayrshire’s bid is ambitious, not least because only Westminster itself and the City of London are “area-based” cities. Perhaps a bid for Ayr might have been better.

St Andrews is the least populous of the Scottish bidders, but it is the home of golf and does have the oldest university in Scotland which was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – some royal influence there, perhaps?

WHAT ABOUT PAISLEY?

THE list confirms that Scotland’s largest town, Paisley, will retain that title and not become a city. With a population of around 80,000, it is far bigger than all the other Scottish candidates. It has twice unsuccessfully applied for city status before. Earlier this year, Renfrewshire Council decided not to apply, a council spokesperson saying at the time: “Paisley’s status as Scotland’s largest (and we think best) town is our unique selling point and something we are immensely proud of. We want to continue to enjoy the benefits of that, as a big town which already thinks and acts like a city.”

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER NON-SCOTTISH CANDIDATES?

THE biggest controversy is over the possibility of a “tax haven” winning city status. George Town, capital of the Cayman Islands; Peel on the Isle of Man; and Gibraltar all come into that bracket, with the latter a “probable” if only to cock a snook at Spain which still wants the Rock back. Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, would be a popular award in the UK but probably less so in Argentina.

Any award to a Northern Ireland town will be controversial due to sectarian issues, and the fact that Wrexham is the only candidate from Wales perhaps shows what the Welsh people think of city status.

The English applicants include tiny Marazion in Cornwall, with a population of around 1500. It would displace St Davids in Wales as the UK’s smallest city.

Reading has applied again, as has Milton Keynes for the fourth time, but northern towns Middlesbrough and Doncaster must have a chance of success if only because Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay said city status could contribute towards the Government’s “levelling up” policy.

WHAT DOES CITY STATUS MEAN FOR A TOWN?

IT’S a bonanza for graphic designers, signwriters and printers as the winning council will have to embark on a re-branding exercise.

Most experts conclude that city status does not automatically convey an economic boost, but it has been shown to improve civic pride which in turn has positive effects on a new city.

There are 69 officially designated cities in the UK, 51 in England, seven in Scotland, six in Wales, and five in Northern Ireland. That number will certainly be joined by Southend-on-Sea which will be granted city status next year in honour of murdered MP Sir David Amess who had long campaigned for the town to become a city.

WHAT CHANCE HAVE THE SCOTTISH ENTRANTS GOT?

SCOTLAND has had considerable recent success, with Inverness, Stirling and Perth all winning in previous rounds of city awards this century. This time there will almost certainly be at least one Scottish candidate town awarded city status, and it is likely that either Inverness or Perth or both will be granted a Lord Provostship.

Dumfries or South Ayrshire would become the first city in the southern part of Scotland, while Dunfermline or St Andrews would see Fife get its first city.

There is no limit on how many places can be awarded city status, so it is possible that two or three new Scottish cities might emerge.