Ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, 39 UK locations and overseas territories are applying for city status.

This is the first time ever that British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were also eligible to apply.

Bournemouth, Doncaster, Lincoln, Reading and Warrington are among the 22 English locations vying for a place.

Meanwhile, Scotland has eight locations applying, including Dumfries and St Andrews, Wales has one in Wrexham, while Northern Ireland has three in Ballymena, Bangor and Coleraine.

Overseas locations include Stanley, which is almost 8,000 miles from mainland Britain in the Falkland Islands, as well as George Town in the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar.

According to the Cabinet Office, winning city status can provide a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there.

The Westmorland Gazette: Bournemouth is one of the locations applying for city status in 2022 (PA)Bournemouth is one of the locations applying for city status in 2022 (PA) (Image: PA)

The competition is part of celebrations to mark the Queen’s historic 70-year reign, with a special four-day bank holiday weekend set to start on Thursday June 2.

As part of their bids, applicants were asked to talk about the distinct identity and community which they feel means their area deserves to become a city, as well as evidence of links to royalty.

Unlike previous Civic Honours competitions, an expert panel will work closely with ministers to make their recommendations, which will then be approved by the Queen.

The final decision will be taken in spring 2022 and announced shortly afterwards.

Which UK places applied for city status?

  • Alcester, Warwickshire
  • Ballymena, County Antrim
  • Bangor, County Down
  • Blackburn, Lancashire
  • Bolsover, Derbyshire
  • Boston, Lincolnshire
  • Bournemouth, Dorset
  • Coleraine, County Londonderry
  • Colchester, Essex
  • Crawley, West Sussex
  • Crewe, Cheshire
  • Doncaster, South Yorkshire
  • Dorchester, Dorset
  • Douglas, Isle of Man
  • Dudley, West Midlands
  • Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
  • Dunfermline, Fife
  • Elgin, Moray
  • George Town, Cayman Islands
  • Gibraltar, Gibraltar
  • Goole, East Yorkshire
  • Greenock, Renfrewshire
  • Guildford, Surrey
  • Livingston, West Lothian
  • Marazion, Cornwall
  • Medway, Kent
  • Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
  • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
  • Newport and Carisbrooke, Hampshire
  • Northampton, Northamptonshire
  • Oban, Argyll and Bute
  • Reading, Berkshire
  • Peel, Isle of Man
  • St Andrews, Fife
  • Stanley, Falkland Islands
  • South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran
  • Warrington, Cheshire
  • Warwick, Warwickshire
  • Wrexham, Clwyd