Doncaster city status will bring 'inward investment' and better 'international recognition' says mayor Ros Jones

Doncaster isn’t likely to find out if they’ve been successful until the Queen’s Jubilee in June later this year and are up against another 37 towns.

These include strong bids from Reading, Bournemouth, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Blackburn and Warwick.

There are also two overseas bids from Stanley in the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and George Town in the Cayman Islands.

This is Doncaster’s fourth bid to become a city and Mayor Jones wouldn’t be drawn on if the borough would bid again if unsuccessful. Some residents on social media were not as receptive as many big organisations in the borough in Doncaster’s bid for city status with calling on the council to focus on improving the town.

Mayor Jones said the bid has been welcomed by ‘all Yorkshire leaders’ but they also face competition from Goole to become the county’s eighth city.

“We are always hopeful, we believe that we act like a city and the answer is Doncaster, why not Doncaster? We’re an up and coming city and we’re doing everything that you would expect of a city,” Mayor Jones said.

“We want to see help improving with investment and everything else so we’ve put in our bid. We think it’s a good bid. There’s many others and remember, it’s across many other areas as well.

“We’re the only one from Yorkshire that’s put in and the whole of the Yorkshire leaders have been supportive of us.

“We’re hopeful, but whatever happens, it will raise our profile for an inward investment which is vitally important to us.

Mayor Jones added that city status would provide a boost to the economy and mean Doncaster would have a stronger voice in the country.

“It’s about the inward investment that we’re seeking to bring in to grow jobs, give people aspirations and become inspirational as a city.

“It’s also about international perception as well, of inward investment coming into cities. People who are investing from outside the UK want to invest in a place that is successful, places in the south who are successful are generally cities.

“So it’s ensuring that we’ve got that international perspective, whereby we can attract more business into Doncaster. We have many assets like an international airport and we already act like a city, all but name.”