GREENOCK councillors have outlined its 'great story' and positive case after deciding to launch a bold bid to become Scotland's eighth city.

Members of the policy and resources committee unanimously agreed to launch a formal bid for civic honours as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations next year.

Elected members say it will give people a chance to be positive about the town.

But their views stood in stark contrast to those of the public, after a community survey showed 61 per cent were not in favour of submitting a bid.

Sixty-three per cent said they did not believe city status would help to boost the population while more than half of respondents didn't believe it would encourage investment or raise Greenock's profile in the UK.

Some residents also said Greenock was too small to become a city and felt putting forward a bid could be costly.

But optimism oozed out of the council chamber as councillors spoke passionately about the town.

Alba's Councillor Jim McEleny said: "When I first saw the press release on this I thought it was an April Fool.

"But then I started thinking about it and, you know what, why shouldn’t we go for it?

"I look at the towns we’d be competing against and we’re better than them.

"I’m all for it.

"My opinion has changed."

The council is hoping Greenock can follow in the footsteps of Perth, which was awarded city status in 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee competition.

Towns such as Dunfermline, Livingston, Oban, Elgin, Dumfries and Irvine have all been linked with bids this time, with the deadline for applications approaching fast on December 8.

Labour councillor Robert Moran added: "We have a great story to tell in Greenock and why shouldn’t we be punching to become a city?

"We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Deputy council leader Jim Clocherty said he'd been disappointed by the reaction of the public.

He said: "I think it [the survey] shows how they see Greenock and that is a wee bit disappointing.

"We have got to take the views of the population on board but we are here to make decisions too.

"Sometimes you just want to say to people this [Greenock] is a fantastic place to live and if all we do through this process is show the positives of Greenock then we have not failed."

Conservative councillor David Wilson added: "I know we have poverty but we talk too much about it.

"There are a lot of good things in Greenock and that’s what we should be stressing."

In a report to the committee, council chiefs said the bidding process had no direct costs associated with it.

There is no requirement for a city to be of a particular size and Greenock would not be the smallest city in Scotland if it were selected, as it has a larger population than Stirling.

In a draft bid proposal, the council detailed Greenock's historic importance - mentioning the likes of its most famous son, James Watt, and how the town became a symbol of the rise and decline of shipbuilding.

Greenock's importance during the Second World War, its royal connections, transport links and visitor attractions are also highlighted extensively.

Council leader Stephen McCabe said: "The bid can only help raise the profile of Greenock and Inverclyde.

"An opportunity like this does not come round often.

"The last time was for the Diamond Jubilee 10 years ago when Perth successfully bid for city status and it has flourished on the back of that.

"We have so much to offer and we want to encourage more people to discover Greenock and Inverclyde as a place to live, work and do business."

The formal bid document will now be prepared and submitted before the December 8 deadline.