BRIGHTON and Hove was today named

as the bookmakers' favourite to win city status.

The Queen is due to announce this year which town will be granted the

coveted status to mark the millennium.

And in the first few days of the year, Brighton and Hove is emerging as the clear favourite.

William Hill has given the towns odds of four to one, better than any of the other 38 towns which have made a bid.

Broadcaster Simon Fanshawe, chairman of Brighton and Hove's Place to Be campaign for city status, is excited by the news.

He said: "It's tremendous. It

doesn't surprise me because we are the place with the greatest potential.

"This faith the bookies have in the towns means we will redouble our efforts and campaign even more strongly this year than last."

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe admitted lack of information on what factors the Queen - who will be advised by the Home Secretary - would be taking into account made it a tough result to predict.

He said: "It's a race without a course and with no form guide."

Coun Ken Bodfish, Brighton and Hove Council's urban regeneration spokesman, was cautious despite the fact some William Hill customers have wagered £1,000 on the towns.

He said: "You should never count your chickens. I'm optimistic but it can never be taken for granted. The successful and peaceful New Year celebrations in the Old Steine show what an enormous sense of community we have here."

The Place to Be Campaign, backed by the Argus, aims to encourage community, educational and business projects.

Mr Fanshawe added: "We want to create a major European city and that change won't just be a cosmetic one. We are working with all neighbourhoods so they improve their community celebrations.

"There are lots of challenges ahead and we are ready to face them together."

Brighton and Hove's bid for city status was taken to the Home Office in London in August. Argus reporter Adam Trimingham was among the cyclists who made the journey along the 55-mile route.

William Hill said Luton was currently in second place at 8-1 with Guildford, Reading and Milton Keynes following at 12-1.

The odds are 16-1 for Chelmsford, while Machynlleth and St Asaph, both in Wales find themselves at the bottom of the table at 50-1.

The last time city status was awarded was in 1992, to celebrate 40 years of the Queen's reign, when Sunderland came out on top.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.