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.