Bolsover boss says city status bid was no cost to district

Bolsover is among 38 towns across the UK and British overseas territories that threw their caps into the ring when the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition was announced to mark Her Majesty’s 70th year as Head of State.

During a meeting of Bolsover District Council’s Local Growth Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday (March 2) Councillor Tricia Clough posed a question to Assistant Director Chris Fridlington on behalf of residents.

“How much has that cost and could the money have been better spent? “ she said.

Mr Fridlington responded: “As far as I’m aware it didn’t cost anything other than officer time.”

As part of its application for city status, Bolsover had to prove its links to royalty, with a famous visit by King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria to Bolsover Castle in the 17th Century being one.

However Coun Clough said the visit, which featured the performance of a play, didn’t go as well as was hoped.

“They were not very impressed with the play that was put on, in fact they didn’t like it,” she said.

An announcement about the winner of the competition is expected shortly.