A successful Ipswich city status bid would boost both the town and "Suffolk as a whole" according to the county's business leaders.
On Tuesday, the Ipswich Star announced its support for the Future City campaign, an initiative which looks to inform people of the benefits of city status.
The move comes as speculation continues to mount over whether King Charles' Coronation in May will be marked by a new competition.
Now, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has outlined the benefits of a city in the county - telling this newspaper that it backs an Ipswich bid "that embraces an evidenced and inclusive approach, bringing together all communities in support."
Paul Simon, public affairs & strategic communications director at the Chamber, said: "We believe that a prosperous, confident and well-connected Ipswich will boost Suffolk as a whole.
"We hope that an Ipswich city would attract better levels of inward investment, higher paid jobs, more domestic and overseas students and a greater tourist footfall.
"The economic and social prosperity of the county’s urban centres and their rural hinterlands are intimately linked: they rise or fall together.
"We will always challenge talk that when one gains, the other loses."
The comments from the Chamber come after a number of businesses across the town pledged their support for a fresh bid this year - citing "more investment, tourism and opportunities for future generations."
The town's mayor, John Cook, also announced his backing for city status, claiming it would "demonstrate Ipswich is a place moving forward and not looking back."
"Businesses in Ipswich have customers and staff drawn from beyond the borough’s boundaries, just as companies elsewhere in the county have important dependencies and links to Ipswich," said Mr Simon.
"The latter’s rich culture and heritage certainly mirrors that of the county as whole and indeed they are parts of the same, shared narrative.
"It is vital that the wider business community is part of this initiative, not least because it will allow us to both highlight and better explain the systemic investment that Suffolk deserves and is crying out for’, including much better road and rail infrastructure in and around Ipswich and our campaign to ensure that the whole county is ahead of the crowd and so an early adopter of 5G-based technologies.
"In short, a well-conducted and successful city status bid will place Ipswich and Suffolk as a whole in the best possible light to grow sustainably over the longer-term."
The Future City campaign was launched by Ipswich Central earlier this year and has since garnered support from a large number of politicians, businesses and other organisations.
Speaking on the campaign, Sophie Alexander-Parker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, said: "The benefits of Ipswich being granted city status are enormous.
"It would attract greater investment, new businesses, highlight our arts and culture and it would put our place on the map for the right reasons.
"There is so much that city status can add to a place. Whilst the individual benefits can be difficult to quantify, the overall ‘point’ of achieving city status is simple: to make Ipswich better for everyone, for the future."
Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times editor Liz Nice added: "I am proud of Ipswich and believe in our county town. That is why we are supporting Ipswich Central and their campaign to make Ipswich Suffolk's first city.
"City status is about pride, positivity and putting Ipswich on the map as a destination for tourism, investment and new businesses.
"We are a historic town and I believe now is the time for us to become a historic city."
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