City of Dundee

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Region: Scotland
Country: Scotland

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

Dundee was granted city status by letters patent in 1889, the first Scottish city to be formally recognised in this way, building on its long history as a royal burgh and a powerhouse of jute, journalism and jam. Local government moved from the historic corporation to the City of Dundee District within Tayside Region in 1975, and then to a single-tier authority in 1996 as Dundee City Council. Since becoming unitary, the council has led major waterfront regeneration around the V&A Dundee, while the city’s universities and games, biotech and creative sectors have grown alongside traditional engineering strengths.

City Council Status

Dundee City Council is the unitary principal authority (since 1996); the civic head is the Lord Provost of Dundee.

Civic Honours: Lord Mayors & Lord Provost

Dundee uses the title Lord Provost as its civic head, a long-standing honour recognised in statute and carried forward to Dundee City Council; the office also serves as the city’s Lord-Lieutenant.

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 4 cities in Scotland have Lord Provost: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

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 Scotland