City of York

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Region: Yorkshire and The Humber
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.

York’s city standing is of great antiquity and has been repeatedly confirmed: the 1974 district held city status, and on 1 April 1996 new Letters Patent conferred the status and the Lord Mayoralty on the enlarged unitary City of York. From Roman Eboracum and Viking Jórvík to a medieval ecclesiastical and mercantile centre, York has remained a regional capital. Since May 2024 it has been a constituent of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority under an elected mayor, adding a strategic tier for transport, skills and investment alongside City of York Council’s unitary responsibilities.

City Council Status

City of York Council is a unitary authority (since 1996); city status and the Lord Mayoralty were confirmed by Letters Patent in 1996 for the enlarged authority.

Civic Honours: Lord Mayors & Lord Provost

York’s mayoralty was elevated to a Lord Mayoralty in 1389 (by Richard II), later reconfirmed in 1974 and 1996.

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 24 cities in England have Lord Mayors: Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Canterbury, Chester, Coventry, Exeter, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, the City of London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, the City of Westminster, and York.

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 Yorkshire and The Humber