Wrexham has been awarded city status to become the seventh city in Wales.
It joins Cardiff, Newport, St Davids, St Asaph, Swansea and Bangor despite a mixed response in the local area to the bid.
The award is part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Wrexham has previously applied to be classed as a city on three separate occasions - in 2000, 2002 and 2012 - and last time lost out to St Asaph in Denbighshire.
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Last December, Wrexham Council’s executive board agreed to once again make a bid to become a city despite a consultation that found 61% of local people didn't think it deserved that status. The Plaid Cymru group on the council had questioned whether is a good use of time and of public money.
But Council leader Mark Pritchard had said: "This isn’t something that comes up often and we don’t know when the next opportunity will arise. It is true that becoming a city doesn’t bring immediate prosperity.
“It’s how we use this as a platform for promoting and developing the county borough to become the capital of North Wales and compete regionally as a destination.”
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That bid has proved a success with Wrexham one of eight places given city status.
The full list:
- Bangor, Northern Ireland
- Colchester, England
- Doncaster, England
- Douglas, Isle of Man
- Dunfermline, Scotland
- Milton Keynes, England
- Stanley, Falkland Islands
- Wrexham, Wales
Business leaders have given the news a a big thumbs up.
Wrexham Business Professionals have campaigned for more than a decade to help secure city status and say they are “cock-a-hoop” that the bid was successful.
Ian Edwards, a senior member of Wrexham Business Professionals and a director of Allington Hughes, said: “We have supported the idea of Wrexham becoming a city for many years. As far as we are concerned, this is a no-brainer and is one of the best things to have happened to Wrexham for a long time
“Even before the pandemic and the consequences of the pandemic we’ve always thought that being a city would give Wrexham a lot of kudos and would provide a massive economic benefit for the whole of North Wales.
“During the pandemic some business in Wrexham have done well but others – notably in leisure, tourism and hospitality – have really suffered and we really have to get back on our feet economically.
“It’s not just about putting Wrexham on the map – being a city will provide an effective lever in attracting inward investment and new jobs which will help the whole area thrive and prosper.
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“The benefits of city status transform the fortunes of the town and provide a better future for the people who live here.
It was a sentiment echoed by the group’s chair, chartered accountant Gill Kreft, co-owner of the Pendine Park care organisation.
She said: “City status will give Wrexham a huge fillip and provide the recognition it deserves as the commercial capital of North Wales.
“City status will undoubtedly help attract more inward investment and funding into the town and the surrounding area.
“It will also give us an enhanced reputation and status as well and raise awareness of what a great place this is and what a lot it has to offer. Wrexham has a lot going for it.
“It will be a massive boost for us and for North Wales and give the town more confidence about itself.
“Hopefully, we can now go for a hat-trick with Wrexham AFC finally winning promotion and being crowned as City of Culture 2025. Fingers crossed!”
Wrexham and the other 37 applicants had their cases put forward to be evaluated by a panel of experts and ministers from the cabinet office, before recommendations were put to Her Majesty The Queen.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay, said: “I am delighted that a record number of locations have been awarded the prestigious city status as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.
“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. As we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s colossal contribution to society, I am thrilled that we are able to recognise some of the many places that make Britain great.
“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. I look forward to the world coming together to show our pride and gratitude to Queen Elizabeth II on the Jubilee weekend.”