What Criteria are used to Grant City Status within the UK?

Officially and opposite to popular belief, there's no specific criteria automatically granting city status in the UK, in the past though you would be right in thinking that status was awarded to towns with a diocesan cathedral, the 'City of Ely' has a small population in comparison to others of just 15000, an example of this because of the magnificent Ely Cathedral.

Going back as far as historical records allow us, city status has been bestowed by a royal charter; there are many UK cities whose city status predates our earliest records. Today city status is granted by the British Monarchy, currently 'The Queen'.

To most of us the word 'city' automatically means a large densely populated urban area. However there are some UK cities which are no bigger than the average town or in some cases village. Particularly the City St David's in Pembrokeshire, Wales, this is the smallest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 2000 people. The city is so tiny it lies completely within The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Other small cities include Wells in Somerset with a population of 10000 and Truro in Cornwall with a population of around 19000. Ely, already mentioned sits between these two in terms of population.

By comparison there are many large, heavily densely populated urban areas in the United Kingdom which are not official designated cities, having no city charter, we refer to and classify them as Conurbations.

Conurbations are large built-up urban areas which can actually include cities, towns and villages.

The most noteworthy example is London (Greater London) which opposite to popular belief is not officially classed as a UK city because it has no city charter. It is a conurbation of 33 heavily populated London boroughs including two cities, the City of London and the City of Westminster, as well as a large number of towns and villages.

All the same the overwhelming majority of us in the UK and around the world think of London to be a city.

The City of London is not the same as London or indeed Greater London. The City of London is also well known as The City or the Square Mile which covers an area of just over one squared mile, the City of London to help you understand more clearly forms the financial centre of Greater London. The City of London Police is responsible for the safety of everyone in London's 'Square Mile'. There are about 6,000 residents in the City of London, although this number is swelled daily by an influx of some 350,000 people going to work and visiting the city. The Metropolitan Police cover the rest of London not the 'Square Mile'.

There are many large towns within the United Kingdom which are large enough to be thought of as 'cities', if 'cities' are defined as large and heavily densely populated urban areas. Milton Keynes in the south east of England has a population of around 210,000 compared to a population of around 53,000 for the same area in 1961. Ipswich is a town in Suffolk located on the estuary of the River Orwell, 85% of the town's population lives within the borough and at the time of the 2001 Census it was the third-largest town in the East of England, an estimate in 2006 reports Ipswich and the surrounding borough to have a population of approximately 120,000 people. Cheltenham in Gloucestershire from the 2001 census has a population of around 110,000.

There's an inconsistency between the common use or meaning of the word 'city' and the different "official" definition of the word 'city' as an exclusive status which can only be granted by the British Monarch.

For many of us the distinction between 'city' and 'large town' is not that important in our daily affairs.

For other though, there's principle at stake and they would rather rebut the official definition on the grounds that it has nothing in common with the actual meaning in common use and should even be officially replaced by the meaning in common usage. There is also debate over whether it is The Crown's place to define a word.

There are three common criticisms of the official definition of 'city':

There is no record of how, when or why some cities were granted city status. Had some of the UK's smaller cities not been granted city status in the distant past, it is highly unlikely that they would have received city status today because they are so small. Many people therefore consider their status unjustified by today's standards of common usage.

Cathedrals were considered of prime importance at the time of their construction and are still important to their local clergy and members, cathedrals today though do not play as an important role in the lives of the majority of Britain's modern city dwellers.

In the past the Church was at the very centre of every community and took a local government and administrative role. Today though this mantle is held by local councils and government departments administrating power. Today cathedrals are not considered sufficient or appropriate grounds for granting city status.

In modern Great Britain today it is not be deemed appropriate for city status to be granted due to the existence of a Christian cathedral, as this would be prejudice against members of other multicultural faiths.

What is more likely that most of us would not consider religious grounds as a suitable measure to determine city status. Level of economic activity, population size or other indicators would be more appropriate.

According to the Department for Constitutional Affairs website: "City status is a rare mark of distinction granted by the Sovereign and conferred by Letters Patent. It is granted by personal Command of The Queen, on the advice of Her Ministers. It is for Her Majesty The Queen to decide when a competition for city status should be held. Competitions are usually held on occasions such as important Royal anniversaries."

It does not matter which political party the British public elect into power, it is still the Queen, non-elected though she is who determines which towns get city status and which do not. Whether this is her sole decision or on the advice of her ministers, it is still a decision removed from the public. The following account of how the city of Rochester lost its city status much to its dismay in 2002, illustrates the undemocratic nature of city status as designated by a monarch.

Rochester was a city from 1211 to 1998. An administrative oversight meant that Rochester lost city status. 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.

• Definition of the Word City
• Largest UK Cities
• Oldest UK Cities
• Dates of Incorporation City Status
• Large Cities - Conurbations and Metropolises
• City Twinning in the UK
• Wikipedia Cities Information
• Search Dictionaries for City Meanings