City of Derby

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Region: East Midlands
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.

Derby received city status in 1977 when Queen Elizabeth II conferred the honour during her Silver Jubilee year (letters patent presented on 28 July 1977). An important market and engineering centre from medieval times through the railway and Rolls-Royce eras, Derby was a county borough until the 1974 reforms, then a non-metropolitan district. Since 1997 it has been a unitary authority (Derby City Council), providing both county- and district-level services, and from 2024 it has been part of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority with a directly elected regional mayor, adding a strategic tier over transport, skills and investment.

City Council Status

Derby City Council is a unitary authority (since 1997), providing both county- and district-level services for the city; Derby was granted city status in 1977.

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 East Midlands