Greenock will be in the running to become a new city after the idea was supported by Inverclyde councillors.

Members of the council’s policy and resources committee unanimously backed the bid at a meeting on (Tuesday 16 November 2021).

A formal application will now be submitted as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

If Greenock were to be successful, it would become Scotland’s eighth city alongside Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Stirling and Perth.

There would also be potential economic benefits of being part of the Scottish Cities Alliance which brings the current seven cities together to promote the country’s economic potential.

Approval for the Greenock bid was given following a recent public consultation.

Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council and convener of policy and resources, said:

“The bid can only help raise the profile of Greenock and indeed Inverclyde, and as the old saying goes, ‘you have to be in it to win it’.

“I understand there were mixed feelings from residents about submitting a bid as many felt it would put an additional, unnecessary financial burden on the council but in actual fact, there are no direct costs involved so there really is nothing to lose in putting Greenock forward.

“An opportunity like this does not come round often. The last time was for the Diamond Jubilee ten years ago when Perth successfully bid for city status and it has flourished on the back of that. 

“We have so much to offer and we want to encourage more people to discover Greenock and Inverclyde as a place to live, work and do business so bidding for city status can only help raise our profile further and potentially open doors.”

A formal bid document will now be prepared and submitted before the 8 December 2021 deadline. To find out more about what Inverclyde has to offer, visit www.discoverinverclyde.com.