Bradley Wiggins denied freedom of Westminster

Cycling ace, Bradley Wiggins has been denied the freedom of Westminster, the London borough in which he grew up. 

The move to grant the Olympic hero the freedom of the borough was withdrawn by its sponsor, Labour Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg when it became clear that members of the ruling Conservative group on the council would vote it down.

Wiggins who spent more than half his life in the London borough, he attended St Augustine's School, and hismother still lives there was deemed by opponents of the move to have "only spent a brief period of his life in Westminster". 

Other councillors are said to have wanted him to sign up to the council's PR effort promoting the 2012 Olympics before bestowing the freedom of the Borough. Wiggins designed the road race course for the 2012 London Games, part of which will go through Westminster, he is one of the country's most successful ever Olympians, and he has vowed to add to his gold medal tally in 2012 . Well before the Games start hermits living in caves on the Outer Hebrides will doubtless know much, much more about the life and times of Bradley Wiggins including no doubt those formative "Westminster years" than they could reasonably ever want to. They will even probably know that he was denied the freedom of Westminster.

According to Councillor Dimoldenberg what finally caused him to withdraw his proposal was the realisation that the Conservative majority were lining up behind an amendment to downgrade the award to a plaque because that's what Sir Roger Bannister got for training to break the four-minute mile at Paddington Rec.

No word yet from the Wiggins camp on this snub from the London borough in which he grew up, if he does have anything to say we'll let you know.

Bradley Wiggins lives in Manchester.