Wrexham & Clwyd South MPs back Wrexham’s City Status bid

Welsh Conservative Member of Parliaments, Sarah Atherton MP and Simon Baynes MP, have welcomed the announcement that Wrexham County Borough Council will bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 and, separately, for City Status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Competition in 2022.

Yesterday Wrexham Council’s Executive Board approved the exploration process that kick starts the exploration of a bid, with final approval later this year before it is submitted.

The Council last bid for City Status in 2012 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Honours. And the closing date for this new bid is December 2021.

Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton said: “Wrexham is the largest town in North Wales, a regional engine for economic growth and job creation with the largest industrial estate in Wales, an educational hub with excellent centres such as Glyndwr University and Coleg Cambria, and a town with a rich heritage and strong identity. Successful City Status and City of Culture bids will only further raise Wrexham’s economic, social and cultural profile, bringing in further investment, whilst creating welcomed jobs and opportunities for all.”

“Nonetheless, I am mindful of some of the concerns of residents across the town and I will be making sure their voices are heard in this process too.”

Clywd South MP Simon Baynes said: “Maximising the economic and cultural benefits for Wrexham and the wider County Borough will be crucial as we recover together as a community from Covid-19. Both of these bids represent real opportunities to turbo-charge our local economy, support our culture and heritage and make the Wrexham area a very attractive place for investment and long-term projects.

“So I’m very supportive of the Council’s approach as they start to engage with local groups and residents to determine what this could mean for the future of Wrexham and the wider area. These bids have my full support.”

Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, added, “Both these opportunities provide a real opportunity to demonstrate locally, regionally and nationally the ambition that Wrexham has to properly fulfil its role as the major urban centre and heart of North Wales and in doing so provide significant benefits to local residents.”