Swindon Archive News
Will people get the chance to comment on city status for Swindon?
Swindon is thinking about asking its people whether the town should become a city after its first bid was denied in favour of Brighton, Inverness and Wolverhampton last December.
The Government has announced a new competition to create more cities to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee next year.
Swindon's Link magazine ran a series of articles in 1999 critical of the city status bid as shambolic and secretive. The Government did not lay down any clear criteria; the award was said to be the Queen's gift.
We took the view that the majority of Swindonians were not clear why the town should become a city, and little effort was made to find out their views, or to involve them in the process.
Our concerns were reinforced when a leaked Home Office document in March 2000 described Swindon's application as 'poorly constructed,' giving 'the impression of a particularly materialistic town, rather than a rounded community.'
The Swindon Evening Advertiser, an eager supporter of the first bid, confirmed on 11 July that it 'was criticised for concentrating on the town's economic success without reflecting its culture and history.'
In February this year The Link suggested that Swindon's leaders should concern themselves with 'citizenship' rather than 'cityship' and engage the population in a debate as to what being a Swindonian means in the 21st Century. We believe this is needed more than ever.
What's your view? Do you know what becoming a city means? Do you want to want to know more? Or is it all a right royal irrelevance?
Let us know by e-mailing publisher@swindonlink.com
Contributions To The Debate
Swindon is thinking about asking its people whether the town should become a city after its first bid was denied in favour of Brighton, Inverness and Wolverhampton last December.
The Government has announced a new competition to create more cities to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee next year.
Swindon's Link magazine ran a series of articles in 1999 critical of the city status bid as shambolic and secretive. The Government did not lay down any clear criteria; the award was said to be the Queen's gift.
We took the view that the majority of Swindonians were not clear why the town should become a city, and little effort was made to find out their views, or to involve them in the process.
Our concerns were reinforced when a leaked Home Office document in March 2000 described Swindon's application as 'poorly constructed,' giving 'the impression of a particularly materialistic town, rather than a rounded community.'
The Swindon Evening Advertiser, an eager supporter of the first bid, confirmed on 11 July that it 'was criticised for concentrating on the town's economic success without reflecting its culture and history.'
In February this year The Link suggested that Swindon's leaders should concern themselves with 'citizenship' rather than 'cityship' and engage the population in a debate as to what being a Swindonian means in the 21st Century. We believe this is needed more than ever.
What's your view? Do you know what becoming a city means? Do you want to want to know more? Or is it all a right royal irrelevance?
Let us know by e-mailing publisher@swindonlink.com
Contributions To The Debate
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