Will Colchester Council be shedding any more light as to whether it is pressing ahead with a campaign to achieve city status for the town?

I wrote a letter to Colchester councillor Nick Barlow regarding the bid, but as of yet he has not replied.

As an ex-resident of the town, I may perhaps be seen by some readers as being a bit inquisitive on the matter, given that I no longer reside in Colchester.

However, I do consider Colchester to be a prestigious contender in the race to find Britain’s next city.

The Government, which set the guidelines, has ensured there is to be no unnecessary costs in submitting an application, with a standard format of entry for all towns competing, to make it a fairer contest to judge.

Colchester, then, has all the credentials to be successful, and becoming a city would help establish the town as a major centre of first rank.

If the council does decide to apply, I wish the town all the luck in the world, but if not, well, then it is Colchester’s loss.

The minority would like us to believe that city status has no place in this most vibrant of towns – many forgetting it was the first of any such settlement in Britain to be recognised as such.

I sure hope that councillors make the right decision based on the added advantages that being a city would bring this great and somewhat underrated place.

Raymond Moore
Clacton