Warrington is 'almost a city' says Burnham - but is it?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who grew up in a village near Warrington, recently described the Cheshire town as being "almost a city".

In response to a question from one of the town's two MPs, he said Warrington was "something of a jewel in the North West crown".

With a population higher than some of the region's cities, could Warrington be granted that status one day? What would it mean and does it really matter?

There were mixed feelings in the town when the BBC visited, with some saying it could be nice to call their home "the city of Warrington" while others saying it did not "deserve" to be.

Burnham grew up in Culcheth, and his Westminster constituency of Makerfield neighbours Warrington.

He said he was a "regular visitor" to the area and knew Warrington well.

The PM made the comments while responding to a question from Warrington South MP Sarah Hall about infrastructure improvements.

"It is a growing town, almost a city given how successful it has been in recent times", said Burnham.

He called for infrastructure improvements and said he would like to see Warrington Bank Quay station remodelled - something which is planned as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

Warrington is an ancient town, with its prosperity linked to its position on the River Mersey.

There was a Roman settlement in the area, built about 100AD, and the Domesday Book describes a village of Walintune near the river.

There has been significant growth since the Industrial Revolution.

Census data shows the population of Warrington had grown to 72,166 in 1911.

But it was in the 1970s that there was a real population boom in the area.

In 1968, the Birchwood area of Warrington was designated as a new town.

Previously the site of a World War Two ordnance factory, by 1981 about 3,500 new rented houses had been built on the site, alongside industrial and commercial buildings.

By 1981, the population of Warrington had reached 165,695.

And over the next 40 years, the population broke through the 200,000 mark and is now estimated to stand at about 215,000.

Warrington has become one of the biggest towns in the North West.

It's bigger than some of the region's cities including Preston (population of 162,864), Lancaster (145,006) and Chester (86,918).

But could Warrington join them as being called a city?

Warrington was one of 39 towns that put itself forward to become a city for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2021.

It was not one of the eight which were chosen..

In its pitch, Warrington said it had "genuine and compelling city credentials".

It said it was a "modern economic powerhouse playing an increasingly instrumental role in the North West region" and also highlighted its transport links, cultural sites and even having the UK's first IKEA.

Cheshire currently only has one city, Chester.

Leaders in Crewe have also set themselves the target of becoming Europe's best small city by 2050.

In the town centre, locals were split when talking with the BBC.

One man, who has lived in Warrington for 40 years, said it was a "good place" but he would still "prefer it as a town".

Anne Horan, from Great Sankey about two miles away, did not think Warrington was "almost a city".

"It doesn't feel like it deserves to be a city at the moment," she said.

Her husband Noel, who moved to the town when he was 10 years old, said Warrington had gone "downhill" and "needs tidying up".

"All they want to do with this town is spend money on frivolous roadworks like putting cycle lanes in and the place is overgrown with weeds. They've got the priorities all wrong," he said.

Noel said he thought there was enough traffic in Warrington to make it a city but added: "To make it a city you need to spend a lot of money on it."

Friends Pat and Dorothy have both lived in Warrington for 80 years and they said they would prefer it to stay as a town.

The acknowledged, however, how it was changing to become more like a city.

"They're building on every part of Warrington, it's getting bigger and bigger. I don't think it will be long before it is," said Pat, who lives in Houghton Green, which lies about 2.5 miles north-east of the town centre.

"They are building about 600 houses right behind me which was all open fields."

Pat and Dorothy also mentioned changes to the town centre in recent years - including the recent closure of independent department store Hancock and Wood.

Pat said she wanted the town centre to go back to how it was in the 1960s, with lots of "individual and different" shops.

She complained that today "everything is the same".

Housebuilding and the town centre were also on the mind of Sue Mitton.

She moved from Manchester to Warrington 50 years ago.

She said Burnham was right that the town was becoming more like a city due to the number of new homes.

Sue was critical of the town centre and said there were no longer any "proper shops".

She said she did not think city status "would change a thing" for Warrington.

"It's still horrible," she said.

But Kate Tunnicliffe, a volunteer at the Fair For All stall in Warrington Market, described the town as a varied place with different communities. She pointed out that it was often quiet in the town centre.

"It's a shame because there are some lovely shops around and independent shops, so it's a good place to come and I wish more people would come in and see it," she added.

Although she now lives in Northwich, she said she had lived in Warrington for a number of years.

"It's been on the cards for it to be a city, hasn't it? So I think that would be good, it would be nice to call it the city of Warrington," she said.

Burnham said the town was a "success story" and there had been economic growth in the area.

A recent Centre for Cities report highlighted its growth and said Warrington was a place that had "led the country in improving local prosperity".

The local council said its "strong commercial growth" and "resilient local economy" meant it "continues to outperform many towns and cities".

"While there will always be differing views on whether Warrington should be a town or a city - and we recognise that previous discussions around city status have generated debate across the borough - our focus remains firmly on what matters most to residents and businesses," said a Warrington Council spokesperson.

"More important than any label is continuing to create jobs, attract investment, support thriving communities and build on the success that has made Warrington one of the country's strongest economic performers."

Despite Burnham's comments during Prime Minister's Questions, the government has no current plans to create new cities.

Since the 1970s, city status has usually been awarded through competitions to mark significant royal occasions, the most recent being in 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee, and at the turn of the millennium.

See more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC North West on X. For more local politics coverage, BBC Politics North West is on BBC One on Sunday at 10:00am and on BBC iPlayer.