§ This page provides an overview of an officially designated city in the UK, bringing together various information to help you better understand this city.
Bath’s city status was confirmed by charter in 1590 under Elizabeth I, reflecting its medieval borough and revived spa whose fame grew around Bath Abbey and the Roman baths; in modern governance it became part of the county of Avon in 1974 and, after Avon’s abolition in 1996, the city’s civic functions were maintained by Charter Trustees while local services moved to the unitary Bath and North East Somerset Council, which continues to lead regeneration and heritage management across the wider district.
City Council Status
Charter Trustees of the City of Bath preserve the mayoralty and civic traditions for the unparished city area; principal services are delivered by the unitary Bath and North East Somerset Council (since 1996). Trustees are drawn from B&NES councillors for Bath wards and fund civic functions via a small precept.
In the UK, charter trustees are formed to preserve a city or borough’s historic civic identity—especially the mayoralty and ceremonial traditions—when local-government changes abolish the former city/borough council and no successor parish or town council exists; they are usually drawn from principal-authority councillors for the wards covering the historic city area and may levy a small council-tax precept to fund civic functions. Among the UK’s official cities, four currently have charter trustees: Bath, Carlisle, Chester, and Durham.
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.
