Towns across England will be able to compete to be crowned "Town of the Year" in a Government competition designed to help communities come together and unleash their potential.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the contest, to be launched later this year, would help make the 2020s "a time of renewal for towns and communities".

The competition aims to celebrate towns' achievements in areas such as entrepreneurship, technology, community, enterprise and integration.

Mr Jenrick has pledged to visit all 100 areas receiving funding under the Government's £3.6 billion Towns Fund in the coming months.

The fund aims to help towns to build prosperous futures.

The launch of the "countrywide town tour" proved slightly controversial as the location it took place in has been a city since 2000.

Speaking in Wolverhampton on Thursday, Mr Jenrick told Sky News: "I turned 18 the year Wolverhampton was made a city, I was living there at the time.

"I went to Wolverhampton because Wolverhampton is one of the recipients of our Towns Fund."

He said eligibility for the fund is "not as crude as whether one is a city or a town".

"For our Towns Fund, we set the criteria based on population size and that does enable a smaller city like Wolverhampton to benefit."

Cities will not be able to enter the Town of the Year competition.

The Cabinet minister said: "People have put their trust in this new Government and we're making an immediate start to serve local communities and deliver real change, through our £3.6 billion Towns Fund.

"I will visit all these areas in the coming months and make sure they're receiving the practical support and investment they need on the ground.