Tiny Cornish town puts in bid to become city
If successful, Marazion would become the smallest city in the UK!
The Cornish town of Marazion is bidding to become a city, which would make it the smallest in the UK!
Home to the famous St Michael's Mount, Marazion has submitted a bid as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The competition has been arranged by the government to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne.
With a population of around 1,400, Marazion faces tough competition from the likes of Reading, Bournemouth and Middlesborough.
Not only would a win make Marazion the country's smallest city, it would become the most southern too, at just 15 miles from Land's End.
"Size isn't important"
Local councillor Richard Stokoe said that the town is home to big supporters of the Queen and planned celebrations alongside the city bid.
He told Sky News: "Size isn't important. Marazion deserves to be celebrated and given city status".
He added: "It costs nothing. Achieving city status would further raise the profile of Marazion, stimulate local businesses and prosper the community.
"It's a magical, magical, magical place. This could put us on the map".
While Paul Elliott, the chair of Marazion's Chamber of Commerce, added: "More than anything, the people of Marazion are excited to share their beautiful town with the world and attract more visitors".
Dr Joanie Willett from the University of Exeter's Institute of Cornish Studies has also commented on Marazion's bid for city status.
She said: "Given the disproportionate amount of policy time that cities get compared to rural areas, this seems like a really good move.
"It also recognises that the area’s visitor economy sees a regular through-fair of hundreds of thousands of people, and asks us to question what we mean by population, and whether this can also come to mean transient populations".