City status in the United Kingdom

**City status in the United Kingdom** is granted by the British monarch to some communities. There are 70 cities in the United Kingdom (see list below) – 56 in England, six in Wales, seven in Scotland and five in Northern Ireland.

Becoming a city is not automatic.  Many people think that any town that has a cathedral is a city. This is because Henry VIII built cathedrals in six English towns and made them cities by letters patent.

A city council does not have any more powers than a borough or district council. Some city councils (like Ripon) are only parish councils, and have few little powers at all.

## Official cities

Officially there are 70 cities in the United Kingdom (UK). Sunderland was made a city to mark Elizabeth II's Ruby anniversary (40 years as Queen). Eight others have been created in competitions to celebrate the new millennium and Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.

### Lord Mayors

A city does not automatically have a Lord Mayor or Lord Provost in Scotland. There are 69 cities in the UK but only 30 Lord Mayors.
- A Mayor is called "The Worshipful the Mayor of _A Town_".
- A Lord Mayor is called "The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of _A City_".
    - The Lord Mayors or Lords Provost of Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, City of London, and York are called "The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor" (or Provost).

Of the 70 cities: (including 30 Lord Mayoralties or Lord Provostships) in the UK:
- 52 are in England, 23 have a Lord Mayor
- 6 are in Wales, 2 have a Lord Mayor
- 7 are in Scotland, 4 have a Lord Provost
- 5 are in Northern Ireland, 1 has a Lord Mayor.

## The former City of Rochester

Rochester was a city from 1211 to 1998.

On April 1, 1974 the city council was abolished, and new letters patent were issued to the new Medway Borough Council to carry on the city name in the old city area.

In 1979, Medway was renamed Rochester-upon-Medway and new letters patent made the whole of the new area a city.

On April 1, 1998, Rochester-upon-Medway and Gillingham joined together to became the new unitary authority of Medway. Rochester upon Medway City Council did not appoint Charter Trustees to maintain the existence of the city and the mayoralty so the city simply ceased to exist, because the council forgot.

## List of officially-designated cities

|City|Mayor|Year granted city status|(Diocesan) Cathedral (pre 1888)|Type of Local Government|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|***English Cities***||||
|Bath||1590|Bath Abbey|Charter Trustees|
|Birmingham|Lord Mayor|1889|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Bradford|Lord Mayor|1897|_Bradford Cathedral_|metropolitan borough|
|Brighton & Hove||2000|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Bristol|Lord Mayor|1542|Bristol Cathedral|unitary authority|
|Cambridge||1951|_not applicable_|district|
|Canterbury|Lord Mayor|TI|Christchurch Cathedral|district|
|Carlisle||TI|Carlisle Cathedral|district|
|Chelmsford||2012|Chelmsford Cathedral|Non-metropolitan district|
|Chester|Lord Mayor|1541|Chester Cathedral|district|
|Chichester||TI|Chichester Cathedral|civil parish|
|Colchester||2022|Not Applicable|Borough|
|Coventry|Lord Mayor|1345|Coventry Cathedral|metropolitan borough|
|Derby||1977|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Durham||TI|Durham Cathedral|district|
|Ely||TI|Ely Cathedral|civil parish|
|Exeter|Lord Mayor|TI|Exeter Cathedral|district|
|Gloucester||1541|Gloucester Cathedral|district|
|Hereford||1189|Hereford Cathedral|civil parish|
|Kingston upon Hull|Lord Mayor|1897|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Lancaster||1937|_not applicable_|district|
|Leeds|Lord Mayor|1893|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Leicester|Lord Mayor|1919|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Lichfield||1553|Lichfield Cathedral|civil parish|
|Lincoln||TI|Lincoln Cathedral|district|
|Liverpool|Lord Mayor|1880|Liverpool Cathedral (1880)|metropolitan borough|
|City of London|Lord Mayor (The Rt Hon.)|TI|St Paul's Cathedral|Corporation of London|
|Manchester|Lord Mayor|1853|Manchester Cathedral (1847)|metropolitan borough|
|Newcastle upon Tyne|Lord Mayor|1882|Newcastle Cathedral (1882)|metropolitan borough|
|Norwich|Lord Mayor|1195|Norwich Cathedral|district|
|Nottingham|Lord Mayor|1897|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Oxford|Lord Mayor|1542|Christ Church Cathedral|district|
|Peterborough||1541|Peterborough Cathedral|unitary authority|
|Plymouth|Lord Mayor|1928|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Portsmouth|Lord Mayor|1926|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Preston||2002|_not applicable_|district|
|Ripon||1836|Ripon Cathedral (1836)|civil parish|
|Salford||1926|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Salisbury||TI|Salisbury Cathedral|Charter Trustees|
|Sheffield|Lord Mayor|1893|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Southend||2022|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Southampton||1964|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|St Albans||1877|St Albans Cathedral (1877)|district|
|Stoke-on-Trent|Lord Mayor|1925|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Sunderland||1992|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Truro||1877|Truro Cathedral (1877)|civil parish|
|Wakefield||1888|Wakefield Cathedral (1888)|metropolitan borough|
|Wells||1205|Wells Cathedral|civil parish|
|Westminster|Lord Mayor|1540|Westminster Abbey|London borough|
|Winchester||TI|Winchester Cathedral|district|
|Wolverhampton||2000|_not applicable_|metropolitan borough|
|Worcester||1189|Worcester Cathedral|district|
|York|Lord Mayor (The Rt Hon.)|TI|York Minster|unitary authority|
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|***Scottish Cities***||||
|Aberdeen|Lord Provost|1891 (royal burgh: 1179)|_not applicable_|Council Area|
|Dundee|Lord Provost|1889 (royal burgh: 1191)|_not applicable_|Council Area|
|Edinburgh|Lord Provost (The Rt Hon.)|1329 (royal burgh; city status has never been formally granted)|St. Giles' Cathedral|Council Area|
|Glasgow|Lord Provost (The Rt Hon.)|1492 (royal burgh; city status has never been formally granted)|St. Mungo's Cathedral|Council Area|
|Inverness|Provost|2000|_not applicable_|none|
|Stirling|Provost|2002|_not applicable_|former royal burgh, now forming part of a Council Area|
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|***Welsh Cities***||||
|Bangor||TI|Bangor Cathedral|community|
|Cardiff|Lord Mayor (The Rt. Hon.)|1905|_not applicable_|Principal area|
|Newport||2002|_not applicable_|Principal area|
|St David's||1994|_not applicable_|community|
|Swansea|Lord Mayor|1969|_not applicable_|Principal area|
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|***Northern Irish Cities***||||
|Armagh||1994|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Belfast|Lord Mayor (The Rt Hon.)|1888|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Londonderry (also known as Derry)||1613|St Columb's Cathedral|unitary authority|
|Lisburn||2002|_not applicable_|unitary authority|
|Newry||2002|_not applicable_|none|
 City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated April 1, 1974.

City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated June 25, 1974.

City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated May 28, 1974.

Bath Abbey and Westminster Abbey are no longer cathedrals.

Coventry has had three cathedrals: the first, St Mary's from 1043 to 1539; the second, St Michael's, from 1918 to 1940, when it was destroyed by German bombardment; and its replacement, also St Michael's, built alongside the old cathedral, consecrated in 1962.

Note that the City of London covers only the "square mile", and is usually just referred to as "the City". The larger conurbation of Greater London has no city charter, and consists of the City of London, the City of Westminster and 31 other London boroughs. This can be compared to the City of Brussels, within Brussels.

City status was confirmed by Letters Patent dated July 9, 1974. The city status extends to the entire district, although the district council calls itself "St Albans District Council" or "St Albans City and District".

Letters Patent under the Great Seal conferring City Status were issued to the unitary authority of York on April 1, 1996, confirming the right of the Lord Mayor to be styled "Right Honourable", in continuation to those granted to the previous City Council abolished March 31, 1996.

Letters Patent under the Great Seal were issued on March 29, 1996 ordaining that the counties of Swansea and Cardiff should have the status of cities from April 1, 1996. The counties replaced the previous district councils which had enjoyed city status.

According to the _Municipal Year Book, 1972_ the royal burghs of Perth and Elgin officially enjoyed city status. The royal burghs of Brechin, Dunfermline and Kirkwall had also been officially described as "cities". As all burghs were abolished in 1975, these areas are now often called "former cities". Although Brechin does not have city status, the community council formed for the area uses the title "City of Brechin and District".

The Provost of Inverness is the Area Convenor of the Inverness Area Committee of Highland Council.

The Provost of Stirling is the civic head of the entire Stirling council area, although city status only extends to the town of Stirling.

Armagh had previously enjoyed city status, with St Patrick's Cathedral the site of the metropolitan primate of all Ireland. The city status was lost in 1840 when the city corporation was abolished. However, the successor urban district council and district council frequently used the title of city without official sanction prior to 1994.

City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated March 18, 1975.

City status granted by Letters Patent dated June 7, 1977.

City status granted to the "Town of Newport in the County Borough of Newport" and the "Town of Preston" by Letters Patent dated May 15, 2002.

Letters Patent dated January 31, 2001 ordained that "the Towns of Brighton and Hove shall have the status of a City".

Letters Patent dated January 31, 2001 ordained that "the Town of Wolverhampton shall have the status of a City".

Letters Patent dated November 4, 1980 ordained that the "Town of Lichfield shall have the status of a City". A town council had been constituted in 1980 leading to the dissolution of the Charter Trustees of the City of Lichfield.

City status granted by Letters Patent  dated March 23, 1992.

City status was conferred on Hereford Town Council October 11, 2000. The status had previously been confirmed to the district council formed in 1974. When that council was abolished in 1996 charter trustees were formed for the City of Hereford. On the formation of a town council for Hereford in April 2000 the charter trustees were dissolved, and the city status temporarily lapsed.

St. David's historically had city status because of the presence of St David's Cathedral. This status was lost in the 19th. century after local government reorganization. Letters Patent dated September 16, 1994 ordained that the "Town of St. David's shall have the status of a City".

The title of City was used "by courtesy" after 1550 when Westminster ceased to be the see of a bishop. By Letters Patent dated October 27 1900 city status was conferred on the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Westminster from November 1. This status was continued on the creation of the City of Westminster as a london borough in 1965.

A letter from the Home Secretary to the Mayor of Leicester confirming that the city status would be bestowed, noted that this was a "restoration to your ancient town of its former status of a city."

Letters Patent dated December 10, 1969.

Letters Patent dated April 21, 1926.

Letters Patent dated March 21, 1951.

Letters Patent dated May 14, 1937.

Letters Patent dated October 18, 1928.

Letters Patent dated June 5, 1925.

Letters Patent dated October 28, 1905, which also granted the title of Lord Mayor.

Letters Patent dated March 22, 1982.

Letters Patent dated July 13, 1988.

Letters Patent dated March 10, 1992.

Letters Patent dated June 6, 1953.

Letters Patent dated May 1, 2002.

Declaration that the Chief Magistrate and Officer of the City to bear the style and title of Lord Mayor due to _the city's high position in the roll of ports of [the] kingdom_ June 26, 1914

Declaration that the Chief Magistrate to bear the honorary title of Lord Mayor July 11, 1906.

Declaration that the Chief Magistrate of the City to bear the style and title of Lord Mayor July 10, 1928 _in consideration of its antiquity and importance_

Letters Patent dated October 23, 1962.

Letters Patent dated May 10, 1935, _in commemoration of his Majesty's silver jubilee_

Letters Patent dated March 11, 1966.

Style of "Right Honourable" conferred on Lord Mayor by Letters Patent dated October 26, 1956. The city was designated the capital of Wales at that date.

The first Lord Mayor was appointed June 3, 1896.

Letters Patent dated September 16, 1907.

The Lord Mayoralty of Bristol was granted as part of the Birthday Honours in 1899

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1897

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1928

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1892

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1892

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1910 _in view of the position occupied by that city as the chief city of East Anglia and of its close association with his Majesty_

The Lord Mayoralty was granted in 1927

The Lord Mayoralty was granted July 12, 1897.

The Lord Mayoralty was granted July 10, 1928.

Warrant issued 28 January 1889 that Letters Patent be issued under the Seal appointed by the treaty of union to be used in place of the Great Seal of Scotland, ordaining and declaring that the Burgh of Dundee shall be a City, and shall be called and styled "The City of Dundee"

Burghs of Old Aberdeen and Woodside and the district of Torry incorporated as the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen by the Aberdeen Corporation Act 1891 (1891 c.cxxiv)

The present council areas are designated  "cities" by virtue of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which also reserves the post of Lord Provost for the convener of the four councils. The previous local government districts and district councils created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 enjoyed the same privileges.

Letters Patent dated January 14, 1889

Letters Patent dated June 1 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Letters Patent dated November 23 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

## Other websites

- Government list of UK cities
- BBC News: Rochester loses city status