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.