Now we have a joke with 39 places contending to become cities. These include Marazion in Cornwall, George Town in Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and Stanley in the Falkland Islands. None of these places are cities! Whatever the local dignitaries think a city has hospitals, universities, sports stadiums, transport hubs, industry and financial and administration functions, at least 100.000 people and something more than a post office and Spar Shop! The anomalies above are historic, but anomalies that we should not add too. So Doncaster, Dudley, Livingstone and Crewe may have an argument, but for the rest it is becoming another farce like the NY Honours announcement that will happen over the next week or so.
London has historically been 2 cities, but surely some of the boroughs have a better justification than basically all the above! An idea – why not create a new title for some towns that wish for recognition. Just like football team suffixes – why not Dudley or Doncaster Elizabethan? This stops short of the honour given to Royal Wootton Bassett, but would allow political correctness for the 4 nations and leave the geography alone!!