Medway will face international competition and go toe to toe with a tiny fishing town in its fourth bid to become a city.

The Towns have launched a bid as part of a UK civic honours competition which is forming part of celebrations marking the Queen's platinum jubilee.

KMTV report on Medway's latest city bid

To mark 70 years on the throne in 2022, Her Majesty will be promoting a select number of places to city status.

Competition is fierce, with a total of 39 locations in the running.

Among them is the tiny Cornish town of Marazion.

With a population of just 1,440, the town has no cathedral, universities, or other attributes typically associated with cities. If promoted, it would become the smallest and most southerly city in the country.

Also hoping to be made cities are larger urban areas including Bournemouth, Reading, Middlesbrough, and Guildford in Surrey.

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are also eligible this time around, meaning parts of areas such as Gibraltar, the Falklands and the Cayman Islands are also in the running.

Encompassing the five towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham and boasting a population of 280,000, Medway has already been rejected on three previous attempts to be named a city.

But Medway Council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett is hopeful about this fresh bid.

He said: "We are incredibly proud that Medway has entered the city bid competition.

"We believe that Medway is a city in all but name with 280,000 residents and growing, more than 14,000 businesses, the finest and tallest Norman castle in the country and the second oldest cathedral in the country.

"Medway undoubtedly has a rich heritage and a great future with many exciting plans and developments on the horizon. We are committed to showing the world what a great place Medway is to live, work, learn and visit.”

Speaking previously, the council leader added: "Our cultural scene is thriving and our stunning green spaces, with eight recognised by the Green Flag award scheme, amount to more than 13 Hyde Parks in size.

“Achieving city status would bring significant benefits to residents and businesses across Medway putting us firmly on the map and shining a spotlight on all we have to offer.”

The Medway bid is also highlighting the Towns' connections to royalty, the Royal Navy and pride in the communities as well as marking more than 30 events and festivals held every year which attracts five million visitors to the area.

Since the last unsuccessful bid to officially be granted city status, the council says significant steps have been taken attracting 11% more businesses since 2016, and the area's GVA (gross value added) economic performance growing 42% to £5.9bn in 2019.

Medway Council announced it was in the process of applying to become a city for a fourth time, under the Platinum Jubilee competition, earlier this year.

Today, the government has announced the 39 places aiming for city status, which also British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies for the first time.

The full list of contenders is as follows:

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

The final decision is set to be announced next year.

In October, Medway's City of Culture bid fell short.