Ambitious plans to try and turn the biggest town in Carmarthenshire into a city have been laughed off as “embarrassing” by some locals who think it should concentrate first and foremost on becoming a busy and vibrant place to live. It was revealed by WalesOnline last week that Llanelli was making a bid for city status after a plan put forward by the town’s chamber of trade and commerce was backed by the town council.
The bid will be officially launched on March 30, with town mayor Nick Pearce describing the move as “an exciting prospect and a wonderful opportunity to further develop the sense of pride that we should all share for Llanelli”. Despite excitement in some parts at the thought of the largest Welsh town west of Swansea becoming the country’s eighth city, others were not so optimistic and even thought it was some kind of joke. After reading the initial article, one reader called the plans “ridiculous” and said it was merely “more deflection from the real issues”. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
Another reader said: “This sort of action just devalues the status of proper cities. I really don’t understand why so many towns have been allowed to call themselves cities. As for Llanelli becoming a city it would be a bit like trying to make the Barry and District News a national daily. It just wouldn’t be right.” Another reacted to the plans by saying: “For God’s sake, no - the town needs to be sorted first, looks awful, needs a good clean”, while another wrote: “Llanelli used to be a busy and bustling town, but now it barely qualifies as a village, and they want it to be classed as a city!”
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Someone else shared that opinion by saying that Llanelli is “barely even a town at this point”, while one member of the public called the whole plan “hilarious”. One even said: “Please don’t waste your time. Llanelli is finished.” On social media, thoughts on the topic were just as strong, with a perceived lack of facilities cited as a key reason why Llanelli would not qualify as a city. Ali Gwilliam and Jonathan Armstrong all questioned whether anywhere without a hospital A&E department, a university or a cathedral should ever be considered for city status, with Sarah Davies adding: “What an embarrassing thing to read. We don’t have a cathedral, a university, an A&E, no shops, and a run down town centre.”
While traditionally cities are associated with having a cathedral (see St Davids in Pembrokeshire, the smallest UK city) or a university, technically these buildings and establishments are not essential in attaining city status. Rather, according to UK Parliament, “in formal terms UK city status is granted by the monarch, on the advice of ministers”. The lack of a cathedral or university is not the main factor behind many people’s opposition to the plans, however. Referencing a line in the original article which spoke of raising locals’ “low expectations of their quality of life”, Clare Watkins posted on social media: “We have low expectations because we are fully aware of the lack of decent facilities, employment, healthcare and housing available in Llanelli, all of which are major factors impacting quality of life. Quality of life will always remain poor whilst these things are left unaddressed.
“Llanelli being a city would be in name only. The funding would not be provided or plucked off the money tree to significantly and suddenly increase quality of life just because it’s now called a city. Cities also have equal issues with housing, homelessness, drug and alcohol crimes and unemployment so I don’t see how calling Llanelli a city would change its outcome for the residents.” Gayle Toms wrote: “A city has plenty of good quality shops. Llanelli is just full of tat and bargain bucket stores." Sue Evans agreed, arguing that Llanelli would be "a city with no shops, only a lovely market.” Want less ads? Download WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android.
Tracy Lindsay visited Llanelli town centre recently and was not impressed by what she saw. She said: “Went into Llanelli this week, first time in quite a while. What a mess!!! Even charity shops closed. Not many people about apart from those meeting with dodgy handshakes. Couldn’t wait to get out. Giving Llanelli city status makes a mockery of the term.” Others on social media simply refused to even take the proposal seriously. Chris Brocklesby said “Oh my god, thank you for the laugh”, while Elizabeth Tash wrote “it’s not April the 1st yet”. Suzanne Victoria Thorpe simply wrote “lol” while Eleanor Ruth Hughes reacted to the news with 38 laughing face emojis.
However, others reacted more favourably, with one reader applauding the ambition shown by those behind the plans by saying: “Good for them for seeking to improve the town and its reputation.” Davina Delaney said Llanelli needs city status to “encourage more investment to the area”, while Lillith Fenris said: “This is such a positive move, no cost to tax payers and the opportunity of more investment by businesses - just what Llanelli needs.” Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce has said it will fund the bid, but it is unclear at this stage how much it will cost or how exactly it will be funded.
Hildegard Cockayne wrote: “Why don’t people try and support this? Everyone comes to town when there’s events happening - I agree that there’s not many shops but it’s the same everywhere.” Janet Rachel Williams agreed, saying: “All of these negative comments...Llanelli town and rural councils make up the largest urban area west of Swansea - much, much bigger than Carmarthen. This will be the best way to improve our town in so many ways. This proposal needs to have the support and approval of the local population. Check out Wrexham to see what city status might be able to achieve for our town. Ymlaen Llanelli!”
Amidst the positive and negative feedback for the city bid, many people’s reactions were centred around the lack of accident and emergency facilities in the town after Prince Philip Hospital lost its A&E department some years ago, leaving locals having to travel east to Swansea or west to Carmarthen. Laura GlamTan asked (if Llanelli got city status): “Does this mean we can get our A&E back?!”, a point shared by Gelisha Navana and Scott Thomas. Jacqueline Sarah asked: “How can you have a city with no A&E department?”, while Martin Heanes said: “Pointless, expensive exercise. Demoted to a village would be more apt - no A&E, no decent hotel to stay in, and no shops in the town centre.”
Healthcare in west Wales is set to be transformed in the coming years with the construction of a new multi-million pound hospital west of Carmarthen - either in St Clears or Whitland. The shake-up is not expected to affect Prince Philip Hospital, but Glangwili Hospital would be downgraded to more of a community hospital which would have an impact on those living in Llanelli and the surrounding areas, who would face a much longer journey to attend Carmarthenshire’s only A&E.
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