Colchester mayor Martin Hunt said today he believed scrapping the town's application for city status was wrong.

A committee of Colchester councillors decided on Tuesday that the bid to switch from a town to a city might jeopardise the Colchester boast that it is "Britain's oldest recorded town".

The few residents who replied to a council survey on the issue gave mainly negative responses and councillors feared an application would go against their wishes as well as cost public money.

But Mr Hunt said he believed winning city status would be a "great boost for a great town.

"What better way to celebrate the millennium? We could use the slogan 'Colchester - Britain's youngest city and oldest town'."

Mr Hunt, mayor for the millennium, dismissed claims that it was too late to make a full application and that it would cost a lot of money.

"For the price of a 26p stamp I could write an application myself," he said.

"All we need to say is that we are Britain's oldest recorded town and what other town deserves the honour more than us?"

Councillors were disappointed in the response from the public to a city status referendum. More than 70,000 copies of council newspaper the Courier were sent out and only just over 70 questionnaires were returned.

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