Milton Keynes finally becomes a CITY as Queen grants coveted status
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After years of trying and failing, MK now has the right to proudly call itself a city.
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Hide AdMilton Keynes Council submitted the formal bid to Buckingham Palace in December – by Starship delivery robot for the first leg of the journey - and the decision was announced overnight to be made public today.
The huge announcement comes just over a year since The MK Citizen launched a campaign to finally make Milton Keynes a city.
The success has been hailed as amazing by Labour council leader Pete Marland.
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Hide AdHe said: "I am so proud that the Queen has recognised the excellent bid we made together as a community to make Milton Keynes a city.
“Milton Keynes is unique and the pinnacle of the post war town planning during the reign of our Queen. Today is a celebration of all those with the vision to have created our great city. It’s for everyone that lives here, has been born here and has grown up here. People who have made the city their own, and who have made the city the success it is.
“City status can only be awarded once. It is forever. It is an amazing thing and something we should all celebrate. It is a good day.”
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Hide AdIt was announced last year that the Queen would be bestowing on one or more lucky towns to mark her 70th year of reign and the Citizen promptly launched a campaign for the council to apply.
Milton Keynes was one of 38 places across the UK and British Overseas Territories to apply. It was our fourth attempt, with previous bids made in 2000, 2002 and 2012.
The council’s application, bound in vellum produced by WG Cowley of Newport Pagnell, stated: “By any objective measure, Milton Keynes feels like a city. Our diverse population of nearly 300,000 people is noted for their willingness to serve and volunteer. We are a home of innovation, teaching the world’s cities how to be sustainable. Our green space is unrivalled, a ‘city in a forest’ bringing joy and health. Where other cities build their cathedrals from stone, ours is grown from trees.”
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Hide AdIt added: “More than this, we are a mosaic of communities united by a love of where we live.”
You can listen here to the council leader explaining why MK deserved to win city status.
The application was backed by MK’s two Conservative MPs, Iain Stewart and Ben Everitt, and they have today shared their delight at the announcement.
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Hide AdThey both wrote to Steve Barclay MP, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to highlight the reasons why Milton Keynes deserved city status.
Iain Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South, said: “Whilst I note I may be biased, I truly believe that Milton Keynes is one of the best cities in the world. Where else are you going to find the history of the WW2 codebreakers at Bletchley Park mixed with the future of driverless cars and delivery robots?
Ben Everitt, MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “We’ve all been calling it a city for years so I’m absolutely thrilled Milton Keynes has been successful in its bid and will now officially become a city.
“I am proud to be the Member of Parliament for the CITY of Milton Keynes.”