City of Canterbury

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Region: South East
Country: England

§ This page provides an overview of an officially designated city in the UK, bringing together various information to help you better understand this city.

Canterbury holds city status by ancient prescriptive right around its cathedral and archiepiscopal seat, with the earliest known royal charter from the 12th century under Henry II; in 1974 the modern City of Canterbury district was created, extending city status across Canterbury and the coastal towns of Whitstable and Herne Bay, with Canterbury City Council delivering local services alongside Kent County Council.

City Council Status

Canterbury City Council is a non-metropolitan district council; most strategic services are delivered by Kent County Council within the two-tier arrangement.

Civic Honours: Lord Mayors & Lord Provost

Canterbury was granted the title of Lord Mayor on 13 July 1988.

In the UK, city status and the dignity of Lord Mayor (or Lord Provost in Scotland) are separate honours, each granted by the monarch via letters patent. Of the 76 cities, 28 have a Lord Mayoralty and 4—Scotland’s four cities—have a Lord Provost; these titles don’t automatically follow from city status. A Lord Mayoralty exists in 24 cities in England, 2 in Wales, and 2 in Northern Ireland.

Only 24 cities in England have Lord Mayors: Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Canterbury, Chester, Coventry, Exeter, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, the City of London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, the City of Westminster, and York.

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.

Cities in South East