Reading Fails To Become A City

14 March 2012, 16:00

Reading is to STAY a town.. for now.

Today, Reading heard how, for the third time in trying, it's failed to gain the covered CITY status.

Part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations three towns have today heard they instead will become cities - Chelmsford in Essex, Perth in Scotland, and the tiny North Wales town of St Asaph.

Speaking to Heart straight after the announcement, Leader of Reading Borough Council Jo Lovelock said: "We believe Reading is a city in all but name, but we will pick ourselves up and continue on the continuing hard work of marketing the town for future business opportunities."

The news today ends a 2 year campaign by Reading Borough Council, local MP's, businesses and local residents to claim the status to boost economic, cultural and social benefits."

Reading East MP Rob Wilson echoed the views of the Borough Council and told Heart "Reading IS a city in all but name, I will continue to campaign for more public and private investment to deliver the town's vision as the economic powerhouse of the Thames Valley."

Reading West MP Alok Sharma contacted Heart to say: "Reading continues to be the main driving force for the economy for the Thames Valley and we're working to bring more investment in. Reading has recently been named as the best "European micro-city of the future" and 5th best European City overall, so we're just going to go from strength to strength, with or without the city name." 

READING GROWS OVER THE YEARS

2002 - QUEEN's GOLDEN JUBILEE - Reading misses out city status to Newport and Preston.

2000 - MILLENNIUM - Reading misses out city status to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton.

1977 - Part of Mapledurham becomes part of Reading

1911 - Caversham and Tilehurst move from Oxfordshire to Reading

1887 - Borough incorporates Southcote and Whitley into it's boundary.

1575 - Reading becomes the largest town in Berkshire

1253 - Reading granted Royal Charter and has it's own local authority

871 - Earliest known record of the existence of a settlement at Reading.