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.Letters Patent dated March 18, 1974, text retrieved from Medway Council archives website

In 1979, Medway was renamed Rochester-upon-Medway and new letters patent made the whole of the new area a city.Letters Patent dated January 25, 1982, text retrieved from Medway Council archives website

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 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 districtChelmsford2012Chelmsford CathedralNon-metropolitan district Chester  Lord Mayor  1541 Chester Cathedral district Chichester    TI Chichester Cathedral civil parishColchester2022Not ApplicableBorough 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 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 neverbeen formally granted) St. Giles' Cathedral Council Area Glasgow Lord Provost(The Rt Hon.) 1492 (royal burgh;city status has neverbeen 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 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 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.London Gazette, issue no. 46255, April 4, 1974

 City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated June 25, 1974.London Gazette, issue no. 46303, June 28, 1974

 City Status confirmed by Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal dated May 28, 1974.London Gazette, issue no. 46334, May 31, 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.London Gazette, issue no. 46352, September 24, 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.London Gazette, issue no. 54363, April 4, 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.London Gazette, issue no. 46522, March 20, 1975

 City status granted by Letters Patent dated June 7, 1977.London Gazette, issue no. 47246, June 14, 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.London Gazette, issue no. 56573, May 21, 2002

 Letters Patent dated January 31, 2001 ordained that "the Towns of Brighton and Hove shall have the status of a City".London Gazette, issue no.56109, May 2, 2001

 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.London Gazette, issue no. 48364, November 7, 1980

 City status granted by Letters Patent  dated March 23, 1992.London Gazette, issue no.52874, March 26, 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".London Gazette, issue no. 53798, September 23, 1994

 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.London Gazette issue no.  27242, October 30, 1900 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."The Times: Leicester, a City: Sequel to the Recent Royal VisitLeicester: The Dignity of a City 655–1926, Leicester's city status, its loss and its regaining over thirteen centuries by Daniel Williams

Letters Patent dated December 10, 1969.London Gazette, issue no.44986, December 12, 1969

Letters Patent dated April 21, 1926.London Gazette, issue no.33154, April 23, 1926

Letters Patent dated March 21, 1951.London Gazette, issue no.39201, April 13, 1951

Letters Patent dated May 14, 1937.London Gazette, issue no.34400, May 21, 1937

Letters Patent dated October 18, 1928.London Gazette, issue no.33433, October 26, 1928

Letters Patent dated June 5, 1925.London Gazettte, issue no.33063, July 3, 1925

Letters Patent dated October 28, 1905, which also granted the title of Lord Mayor.London Gazette, issue no.27849, October 31, 1905

Letters Patent dated March 22, 1982.London Gazette, issue no.48932, March 25, 1982

Letters Patent dated July 13, 1988.London Gazette, issue no.51416, July 20, 1988

Letters Patent dated March 10, 1992.London Gazette, issue no.52861, March 13, 1992

Letters Patent dated June 6, 1953.London Gazette, issue no.39983, June 6, 1953

Letters Patent dated May 1, 2002.London Gazette, issue no.56556, 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, 1914London Gazette, issue no.28845, June 30, 1914The King's Honour to Hull, The Times, June 27, 1914

Declaration that the Chief Magistrate to bear the honorary title of Lord Mayor July 11, 1906.London Gazette, issue no.52861, July 27, 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 importanceLondon Gazette, issue no.33405, June 20, 1928The Times, July 11, 1928

Letters Patent dated October 23, 1962.London Gazette, issue no.42815, October 23, 1962

Letters Patent dated May 10, 1935, in commemoration of his Majesty's silver jubileeLondon Gazette, issue no.34160, May 10, 1935Lord Mayor of Plymouth, The Times, May 7, 1935

Letters Patent dated March 11, 1966.London Gazette, issue no.43921, 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.London Gazette, issue no.40911, October 26, 1956

The first Lord Mayor was appointed June 3, 1896.

Letters Patent dated September 16, 1907.London Gazette, issue no.28065, October 1, 1907

The Lord Mayoralty of Bristol was granted as part of the Birthday Honours in 1899Birthday Honours, The Times, June 3, 1899History of The Lord Mayor of Bristol from Bristol City Council website

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 MajestyThe King and Norwich, The Times, February 7, 1910

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"London Gazette, January 29, 1889

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, 1889From the London Gazette, January 18, 1889, The Times, January 19, 1889

Letters Patent dated June 1 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.London Gazette, issue no.60167,1 June, 2012

Letters Patent dated November 23 2022 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.London Gazette, issue no.63829, 29 September, 2022

References

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

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