Cardiff

image
Region: Wales
Country: Wales

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

Granted city status by Edward VII in 1905, Cardiff’s rise was driven by the 19th-century coal and docks boom led by the Marquess of Bute, and it was later designated the capital of Wales in 1955; local government has evolved from a county borough (pre-1974), to a district council within South Glamorgan (1974–1996), and since 1996 to the unitary Cardiff Council (the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff). These changes concentrated powers in a single tier, with the council based at County Hall and overseeing a rapidly redeveloped waterfront and city centre.

City Council Status

Cardiff Council (the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff) is the unitary ‘city and county’ authority for the capital; city status was granted in 1905.

Civic Honours: Lord Mayors & Lord Provost

Cardiff received a Lord Mayoralty in 1905 when city status was conferred, with the style 'The Right Honourable' added by Letters Patent in 1956.

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 2 cities in Wales have Lord Mayors: Cardiff and Swansea.

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 Wales