Letter from Medway Council’s Leader Cllr Rodney Chambers

IT IS often said that to become a city you need a cathedral, a university, a well-known sports team and a successful economy.

If it were that easy, then I am certain that Medway would already be enjoying this honour.

After all, it does have the historic Rochester cathedral, four universities, Gillingham FC and a diverse economy.

Sadly, though, it’s not quite that simple, and city status is rarely bestowed, except by the Queen on special occasions.

It is therefore fortunate that such an occasion is fast approaching.

In 2012, the Queen will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee and granting city status to a lucky winner.

It is my hope that Medway will be that winner and this week we have launched our summer campaign for city status, more details of which can be found at www.cityofmedway.org.

We are encouraging people to show their support by drawing, painting or writing on our City of Medway bunting flags, which will be available at all our events this summer, including the Castle Concerts, and on our website.

In my mind, there is no better contender for this highly coveted honour. Medway has demonstrated it has the vibrancy and passion of a city with its rich historic links and forward-looking attitude.

In particular, there are three reasons why I believe Medway is deserving of this honour.

City status would be a recognition of where we are and what we have achieved.

And it would help highlight how much Medway has been transformed since the closure of the Naval Dockyards in Chatham 26 years ago.

Since the closure, St Mary’s Island and Chatham Docks are successful examples of regeneration, and more is to come along Strood waterfront, the Rochester riverside and in Chatham town centre.

These projects are bringing jobs, improving infrastructure and transport links and creating new homes.

There are now 600 companies at the Medway City Estate employing 6,000 people. We have 10,000 students here, a great calendar of sporting and cultural events and we are the largest conurbation in the South East.

We are also gifted with a superb castle and cathedral in Rochester and we are proud of our close historic ties with the armed forces. These ties include, of course, the fact that Chatham was at the forefront of British naval history for centuries as well as our association with the Royal Engineers, based at Brompton Barracks.

In short, Medway has a rich heritage and a great future.

The second reason is that city status would give Medway a greater national and international profile – literally putting Medway on the map.

Since becoming a city, Sunderland has attracted international companies, such as Nike, Nissan and Barclays. And Newport has seen Admiral, Yell and EADs move in. Others have enjoyed record levels of investment, with Wolverhampton benefiting from £2 billion.

Such benefits will not materialise overnight, but city status will enable Medway to compete on an equal footing with other cities.

Finally, city status will further strengthen the bonds between our five towns and the rural areas that make up Medway.

There is much that Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham have in common, but city status will not mean they will lose their distinct identities.

In fact, this is what makes our campaign unique for it would be five towns that make a city – the City of Medway.

This is only the start of our campaign and there is a long way to go. We will, in these austere times, ensure that costs are kept to a minimum and, where possible, the council will make use of its existing resources.

But success will not depend on finances alone. The support we receive from residents will be a major deciding factor. I urge everyone who supports our bid to collect one of our bunting flags and paint, draw or write on it and send it back to us.

In Medway, 2012 is going to be a year of celebration with the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens, the bicentenary of the Royal Engineers in Gillingham, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and our bid to achieve World Heritage Status for Chatham.

Clearly, becoming the City of Medway would be a fitting accolade for such an eventful year.