The leader of Medway Council has called on the Government to grant Medway city status to prevent reorganisation leading to a ‘significant loss of identity’.
Cllr Vince Maple wrote to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government saying that Medway Council was ‘minded’ to request to join the Devolution Priority Programme.
However, he warned that Medway’s collective identity could be lost if it became part of a larger unitary authority and called for the region to be granted city status.
‘Within a larger unitary authority this unique, collective identity which currently exists could sadly be lost having spent 27 years building up the profile of Medway on a regional, national, and indeed international stage,’ he wrote.
Medway, which covers Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Rochester, and Strood, lost its city status during the 1998 merger that formed the current unitary authority, Medway Council.
‘We have bid for city status at every opportunity since the creation of the unitary authority but unfortunately have lost out to other bids,’ Cllr Maple continued.
‘We would be extremely grateful if exceptional circumstance for granting this could be considered as part of the journey of devolution in Kent.’
