Councillors at odds over city status application

Ards and North Down Council discussed an application for 2022 competitions for city status last week but old rivalries between borough neighbours Newtownards and Bangor were revisited.

In June the UK government launched a civic honours competition to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee next year with competitions for city status and lord mayor status.

However, the general mood at Ards Borough Council regarding an application for Bangor was met with a response ranging from hesitant approval to cynicism.

The council, still at an early stage in the process, has given itself Bangor or an amalgamation of towns in the borough as initial candidates for the application. Elected representatives voted to discuss the matter further at committee level.

Council officers have so far gone for Bangor, with a report stating the town was the one which “most fit the criteria”.

UUP councillor Carl McClean said: “Having spoken to a number of residents, civic groups and the like, I definitely get the feeling this is something which should warrant a little more time and discussion.”

DUP councillor Alistair Cathcart said: “It also needs to be made clear to those who have reservations on such a bid that it does not cost a huge amount of public money. This is not a city of culture bid that costs thousands of pounds.”

He added: “I don’t think there is any other town in Northern Ireland that merits city status other than Bangor frankly, in terms of its population, history and its culture. It needs to be thought about by the council, with feedback from the wider community.”

DUP Alderman for Newtownards Stephen McIlveen said there was a “myopic focus on the Bangor bid”.

He said: “I can appreciate the Bangor representatives believe that this can only apply to them. We do believe a solo Bangor application will have fundamental weaknesses, and can’t forget that this application might look at the borough as a whole. Personally I am yet to be persuaded that an application is the thing to do.”

SDLP councillor for Ards Peninsula Joe Boyle said: “I think we see the difficulties this will have with Ards v Bangor, or indeed the Ards Peninsula and Ards v Bangor.

“I think what you would actually be doing would be driving a knife between Ards and North Down. If you have city status at one end of it, with that comes additional resources being ploughed in. I would be fearful that the Ards legacy area and the peninsula would become the poor relations in this new city-founded borough. I am not convinced.”