Next year will be the 100th anniversary of Stoke-on-Trent becoming a city – and the area's cash-strapped council is looking to celebrate despite its financial challenges.

The county borough of Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status in 1925, following a direct approach to King George V.

Almost a century on, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is looking to kick-start a year of commemoration, including celebrating the area's heritage. But the authority is also battling to avoid bankruptcy and has recently revealed cost-cutting plans to save £8m as part of its 2024/25 budget.

On Tuesday (January 16) cabinet members agreed to celebrate the centenary of the city and develop plans. A steering group will be established to oversee the preparations.

Yesterday, cabinet members agree to celebrate the anniversary despite its current financial challenges (Nub News).

A report to the cabinet said: "When the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent initially applied for city status in 1925, citing its importance as the centre of the pottery industry, it was refused by the Home Office as it had fewer than 300,000 inhabitants. However, the decision was overturned when a direct approach was made to King George V who agreed that the borough ought to be a city.

"The public announcement of the elevation to city status was made by the King during a visit to Stoke on 5 June 1925 – archive film, memorabilia and exhibits are within our collection and available. It is proposed to mark the centenary with a year-long programme of events celebrating our city and its rich heritage.

"In light of the financial situation affecting the council, it is proposed that co-production with businesses and the community and voluntary sector takes place, and extensive rebranding of existing events and activities. It is intended that the approach to this project will be similar to the successful Lidice commemorations that took place in 2022, which took place with minimal revenue expenditure and which was all contained within existing budgets.

The public announcement of the city status was made by the King during a visit to Stoke on 5 June 1925 (Nub News).

"However, in this case it may be possible to use some amount of Shared Prosperity funding to pump-prime some events. We will also ask national and regional bodies to recognise the special nature of the year in their programming as well."

A number of local organisations are set to be invited to join the steering group, including Keele University, Staffordshire University, Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, Made in Stoke, BID Partnership and cultural and community sector representatives, the report added. Current suggestions for events to mark the milestone include a royal visit, creation of a "hall of fame", a museum exhibition, parks, arts and living history festivals, a schools competition and community lunch.

The report said: "The city council is currently experiencing significant financial challenges but recognises the importance and wider economic benefits of these events. As such, any expenditure associated with the centenary celebrations will be subject to a further approval process when costs are known for each specific event.

"These costs will then be appraised individually and met primarily through external funding streams where possible, with any residual elements required to be funded within existing budget allocations. The cost of these events will not cause a pressure on the General Fund and this report does not constitute approval to incur expenditure at this stage."

The council said they will be seeking funding for the celebrations (Nub News).

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: "We are looking forward to working with businesses, partners and our communities across Stoke-on-Trent to mark our historic centenary year. We are in the early planning stages, but expect some exciting announcements around activity in the coming months.

"As we do not have spare money from the council's budgets to pay for this celebration, we will allocate funding from sources such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to get the ball rolling. The purpose is to celebrate, but also make sure all the children growing up in our city are aware of where they and their family are from and get a sense of their own identity; not only in the city but the significance of the city in the world."

Fellow cabinet members also welcomed the prospect of celebrating the city's centenary. Councillor Alistair Watson said: "It's a really exciting moment in Stoke's history."

Councillor Sarah Hill said: "It's got to be about moving forward as well as looking back. I think it is a great opportunity for the children and young people in our city to be proud of what we are becoming."

------

READ MORE: What's on in Stoke this weekend: Makers Market, Pongal festival and drag act 

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.