PRESTON could be on the road to city status for a second time if council chiefs give the go-ahead to a new bid at an emergency meeting on Friday, August 3.

Members of the council's policy and resources committee are expected to rubber stamp the plan to submit a fresh application for city status at the meeting -- a deal which could require an estimated £30,000 of council taxpayers' cash.

This year's bid, in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, comes after the town's failed attempt last year and follows a report by the borough council's chief executive, Jim Carr.

But this time around the town will have to fulfil a set of even stricter conditions than before in order to be in the running for the prestigious title. All bids must have been made by 12 October.

And council bosses believe 'Proud Preston' is more than ready for the coveted honour despite missing out on being crowned 'city' last year when the seaside town of Brighton and Inverness in Scotland scooped the accolade. Bernard Hayes, the council's director of finance and property services, explained: "We were ready last year and that is why we bid but it was obviously the choice of the Government and the ministers as to which towns were granted. Nothing has changed though and we are still eligible."

Recommendations made in Mr Carr's report on Tuesday, July 31 indicate the committee will consider enlisting a public relations company to help gain public support.

Mr Hayes said: "I am not going to pre-empt the committee, but I would feel that they will be looking at taking the previous bid and reforming it to take into account the new criteria. I am convinced that we fulfil a great deal of these new requirements."

Among the new requirements needed to be successful, the council must show that Preston has an identity of its own -- rather than being a 'satellite' of an existing city -- and that Preston is expanding, rather than being in decline.

Mr Hayes said: "It's up to the committee whether to bid, but given that we felt we were eligible before I would be surprised if the council felt we shouldn't.

"Basically we believe Preston has all the features qualifying it to be a city."