Town has just five months to submit its city bid

Luton’s race to gain city status got underway this week.

The town has fewer than five months to get its entry completed for its bid to become a city in 2012.

On Wednesday, the Government announced the deadline for the application to be honoured as a city in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as May 27.

This will be the third time Luton Borough Council has applied as it has failed with its two previous bids, in 2000 and 2002.

At a gathering in Westminster in July, the council officially launched the bid with other Luton representatives including the two MPs, Kelvin Hopkins and Gavin Shuker and Glyn Jones, managing director of Luton Airport.

The council thinks a win could bring in billions of pounds into the area.

As part of the application, the entry must include an introduction showing why it deserves city status, its age, identity, history, traditions, famous residents and any associations with royalty.

A profile, map and photographs of the town must also be submitted.

Glyn Jones, who is co-chairman of the bid with Lord McKenzie, said: “What I would say is it needs to be supported from the bottom up, it is a town bid.

“The big word is transformation.”