City of Colchester
§ This page provides an overview of an officially designated city in the UK, bringing together various information to help you better understand this city.
Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town with deep Roman roots, was granted city status in 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee civic honours, whereupon the borough became Colchester City Council; it remains a district-level authority within Essex’s two-tier system and has focused recent investment on the former garrison, the Northern Gateway and town-centre public realm.
City Council Status
Colchester City Council is a non-metropolitan district-level authority in Essex; after city status was granted in 2022 it remained within the two-tier system alongside Essex County 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.