Doncaster has all the attributes required to merit city status - Yorkshire Post Letters

As the council leaders of Yorkshire and the Humber and Mayors of West and South Yorkshire, we fully endorse Doncaster’s bid for city status.

Doncaster has one of the fastest growing economies in the north – now worth £7bn per year - and a population well in excess of 300,000 residents, Doncaster is home to almost 1 in 200

people in Great Britain. It is already a city in all but name.

Since its establishment by the Romans in 71AD, Doncaster and its extensive network oftowns, urban communities, villages and hamlets have long played an important role in our

country, Doncaster truly is a place of places, with distinct pride and diverse communities.

The Doncaster borough has a history of innovation and industry, from politics to aviation, horseracing and the development of our railways, including designing and building iconic

locomotives such as Flying Scotsman and Mallard, which transformed national travel and commerce.

However, Doncaster’s strengths do not simply lie in its proud heritage.

Today, Doncaster is one of the most important transport and logistics centres in the country. Itis home to one of the fastest growing airports in the UK, an East Coast Main Line rail hub,

and the borough lies at the heart of the national motorway network, acting as a gateway to towns and cities across the north.

National visitor attractions including the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and Doncaster Racecourse (home to the historic St Leger) bring thousands of visitors to

our region from across the country and the world. With an outstanding natural environment and modern leisure and culture facilities, including a new theatre, art gallery and museum, Doncaster has all the attributes required to merit city status.

Notwithstanding this, the town is also teeming with untapped potential, it has a fantastic community spirit and true Yorkshire resilience. Despite recent growth and investment, it has

much more to offer Yorkshire and the United Kingdom, and a clear plan for the future.

Doncaster has a strong vision to become a sustainable city, capitalising on its existing strengths and major development opportunities to improve skills, diversify its economy and

close the productivity gap. By doing so, it will improve the lives and livelihoods of its residents and add many more billions to the regional and national economy.

The last two English towns to attain city status were both in the South East of England - it is now time for new cities to be created in the North, recognising the existing strengths of our

communities and providing the leverage to deliver the levelling-up agenda in practice.

The case for Doncaster to become the first new city established in Yorkshire since the 1880s is unquestionable. We strongly urge the Government to approve Doncaster’s City Status bid.