§ This page provides an overview of an officially designated city in the UK, bringing together various information to help you better understand this city.
One of the oldest cathedral settlements in Wales, Bangor’s modern city status was confirmed in 1974 when the former municipal borough was abolished and the status transferred to the newly created community under the Local Government Act 1972; today it is governed locally by Bangor City Council at community level and by Gwynedd Council (a unitary “principal area” since 1996). The shift from borough to community in 1974 moved most powers to Arfon Borough Council (later absorbed into Gwynedd in 1996), while the “City of Bangor Council” style was retained at the community tier, reflecting the area’s long ecclesiastical roots around Bangor Cathedral and its later growth as a university town.
City Council Status
Bangor City Council is a community (parish-equivalent) council; city status was confirmed in 1974 and vested in the community area. Principal services are delivered by unitary Gwynedd Council.
In the UK, a small group of cities hold their city status at the lowest tier of local government. In England, there are eight such cases where the status is vested in a civil parish whose council styles itself a City Council: Chichester, Ely, Hereford, Lichfield, Ripon, Salisbury, Truro, and Wells. In Wales, there are three where the status is vested in a community with a City Council at that community tier: Bangor, St Asaph, and St Davids. In these places, the parish/community council carries the civic identity and raises a small precept for hyper-local functions, while most public services are delivered by the relevant principal authority (district or unitary council).
In the UK, a city is not defined by size or population but by formal status granted by the monarch, often through historical charters or, more recently, civic honours competitions. There are 76 officially recognised cities, some of which are relatively small compared to other urban areas. In contrast, local authority districts (361 in total) are administrative areas created for local government purposes and may include a mix of urban centres, suburbs, and rural communities. Within districts, there may be one or more towns, which generally refer to sizeable urban settlements but do not hold city status unless it has been formally granted. In practice, a city can exist within a district, and a district can cover multiple towns, showing the clear distinction between legal status, administrative boundaries, and everyday usage.
