BLACKBURN and Darwen people will have to wait longer than expected to find out if the borough will become a city.
Blackburn with Darwen Council faces competition from more than 30 other towns all over the country in its bid to be Britain's millennium city.
An announcement was expected this month but will now be made at some stage in early 2000.
Bookmakers William Hill have made Blackburn with Darwen outsiders in the city race with Brighton the favourite and Guildford second favourite.
Local rivals Bolton and Preston have been given a better chance than Blackburn and Darwen, although Blackpool and Stockport have been quoted at the same 33-1 price as the borough.
A council spokeswoman said town hall chiefs did not see Blackburn with Darwen's case being affected in any way by the delayed announcement of who would be victorious in the city race.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article