Diamond Jubilee Civic Honours Competition

(Limited Text - Ministerial Extracts only)

Wednesday 14th March 2012 Written Statements

[The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Nick Clegg)]

I am pleased to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has commanded that city status be granted to Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph; and lord mayoralty to Armagh to mark her diamond jubilee.

Although the granting of these honours remains a rare mark of distinction, the Queen accepted the Government’s recommendation to grant these honours to more than one place to commemorate her diamond jubilee and in recognition of the high quality of applications received. City status and lord mayoralty, which confer no additional powers or functions on the successful applicants, will be granted by Letters Patent, which will now be prepared for presentation to Armagh, Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph in due course.

The unsuccessful applicants will, of course, be disappointed not to have been honoured on this occasion. The standard of application was very high, and those who missed out should not be downhearted. I hope the competition has given the residents of all of the places which applied a sense of civic pride, of collective ownership and of community spirit. Across the United Kingdom, I have been impressed by the pride and passion which people have shown in putting their nominations forward.

I offer my congratulations to Armagh, Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph, who have been granted these rare honours from a field of exceptional entrants.