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.^[1]

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.

1. ↑ "UK cities". culture.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2019-09-11.