City of Preston

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Region: North West
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.

Preston was granted city status in 2002 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, reflecting centuries of growth from market and textile town to a modern service and engineering centre. The present authority was formed in 1974 as a non-metropolitan district and continues as Preston City Council within Lancashire’s two-tier system. A new strategic tier arrived in 2025 with the non-mayoral Lancashire Combined County Authority, set up to take on devolved functions over transport, skills, housing and regeneration alongside the council’s local services.

City Council Status

Preston City Council is a non-metropolitan district within Lancashire; strategic functions are coordinated through the Lancashire Combined County Authority.

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 North West