BUDGET airline easyJet has become the latest big name to give its backing to Luton’s bid to become a city.
The airline, which employs more than 1,350 people at the town’s airport, announced its support for the Love Luton city status bid which will be presented to the government next month.
A decision on whether the town has been successful in its bid to be granted city status as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations is expected in early February 2012.
Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s chief executive, said: “We are proud to support Luton’s bid.
“The city status offers Luton the chance to build on its strengths and the optimism of its people and become one of Europe’s youngest cities.
“City status would help the town attract new businesses and investment leading to extra jobs and higher economic growth.”
Glyn Jones, chairman of the Love Luton city status bid and managing director of Luton Airport said: “We’re delighted to have yet another high-profile company backing our bid for city status.
“Luton boasts exceptionally good transport links and having the UK’s largest airline backing the bid really confirms this.
“City status would provide a great opportunity to raise the profile of Luton as we move forward into the future.”
Luton is up against other towns from across the country, including Milton Keynes and Reading, in the race to be awarded city status as part of the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.
The bid is being backed by several high profile organisations including Arriva, BP, Luton Airport, the University of Bedfordshire and Vauxhall.
Other high profile names backing the bid include England spin bowler Monty Panesar and pioneering scientist Sir Alec jeffreys, who developed techniques for DNA fingerprinting and profiling.
One of the major benefits of winning the bid and becoming a city is the jobs and investment it is hoped it would bring to the area. Bid chiefs hope that new and exciting businesses will be attracted to locate here and new jobs will be created.
The last town that became a city was Sunderland and they have calculated that their windfall was about £5 billion of new investment and over 30,000 new jobs.
For more information on the bid log onto www.loveluton.org.uk.