St Davids and the Cathedral Close
§ This page provides an overview of an officially designated city in the UK, bringing together various information to help you better understand this city.
Centred on its medieval cathedral and long Christian heritage, St Davids had historic city standing removed in 1886 but city status was granted again in 1994, with the Queen presenting the letters patent in 1995 elevating the local body to a full City Council; since 1996 the wider area has been administered at principal-authority level by Pembrokeshire County Council following the creation of Wales’s 22 unitary councils. The restored status recognises the settlement’s ecclesiastical significance while modern governance reflects the post-1996 single-tier structure.
City Council Status
St Davids City Council is a community council; city status was restored in 1994 (letters patent presented 1995). Principal services are delivered by Pembrokeshire County Council (unitary).
In the UK, a small group of cities hold their city status at the lowest tier of local government. In England, there are eight such cases where the status is vested in a civil parish whose council styles itself a City Council: Chichester, Ely, Hereford, Lichfield, Ripon, Salisbury, Truro, and Wells. In Wales, there are three where the status is vested in a community with a City Council at that community tier: Bangor, St Asaph, and St Davids. In these places, the parish/community council carries the civic identity and raises a small precept for hyper-local functions, while most public services are delivered by the relevant principal authority (district or unitary 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.
