Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, defended statements about the city of Wolverhampton from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, which described it as a town on two occasions. The disclosure in the Guardian was particularly embarrassing for Jenrick, who was born and educated in Wolverhampton, which became a city when he was 18. Civic figures have claimed it is proof that the Tories are paying lip service to the UK’s struggling towns. In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, Jenrick claimed that his department did not get it wrong and denied that he did not know that Wolverhampton was a city. Instead of pitting towns or cities against each other in a beauty contest - the government should be properly funding our vital public services.

Source: The Guardian January 09, 2020 09:18 UTC