Peterborough
§ This page gives an overview of the Peterborough local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, is centred on its striking Norman cathedral, surrounded by a modern city with shopping centres, theatres, and riverside walks along the River Nene. The city’s history includes Bronze Age settlements such as Flag Fen and medieval abbeys, while Ferry Meadows in Nene Park provides lakes, meadows, and recreation. Surrounding villages and fenland farmland add rural diversity, while the city itself is a growing cultural and commercial hub.
What County is Peterborough in?
Peterborough is in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, in the East of England. It is administered by Peterborough City Council, which operates as a unitary authority responsible for local government services within the city. For official, geographic, and ceremonial purposes, Peterborough is recognised as part of Cambridgeshire.
Historically, Peterborough was associated with the historic county of Huntingdonshire and later became part of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely before modern local government reforms. Although Peterborough now functions independently as a unitary authority, it remains part of Cambridgeshire as a ceremonial county, which is the correct and current answer today.
Peterborough Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Peterborough local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Peterborough can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Peterborough.
Key Facts about Peterborough
What region is Peterborough in? Peterborough is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Peterborough in? Peterborough is in the county of Cambridgeshire.
Is Peterborough a city? Yes, Peterborough is a city. Peterborough holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Peterborough? The local government for this district is: Peterborough City Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Peterborough City Council 🔗 peterborough.gov.uk
Which police force covers Peterborough? Policing in Peterborough is provided by Cambridgeshire Constabulary 🔗 cambs.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cambridge ⁞ East Cambridgeshire ⁞ Fenland ⁞ Huntingdonshire ⁞ Peterborough ⁞ South Cambridgeshire.
Peterborough in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Peterborough is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, that contains the following 2 ITLs Level 3 areas:
(ITL 1) East of England
(ITL 2) ⇒ Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Peterborough ⁞ Cambridgeshire CC
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Peterborough
Peterborough is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Peterborough
Peterborough is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barnack
- Bretton
- Central
- Dogsthorpe
- East
- Eye, Thorney and Newborough
- Fletton and Stanground
- Fletton and Woodston
- Glinton and Castor
- Gunthorpe
- Hampton Vale
- Hargate and Hempsted
- North
- Orton Longueville
- Orton Waterville
- Park
- Paston and Walton
- Ravensthorpe
- Stanground South
- Werrington
- West
- Wittering
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Peterborough
Peterborough is part-parished: 29 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Ailsworth
- Bainton
- Barnack
- Borough Fen
- Bretton
- Castor
- Deeping Gate
- Etton
- Eye
- Glinton
- Hampton Hargate and Vale
- Helpston
- Marholm
- Maxey
- Newborough
- Northborough
- Orton Longueville
- Orton Waterville
- Peakirk
- Southorpe
- St. Martin's Without
- Sutton
- Thorney
- Thornhaugh
- Ufford
- Upton
- Wansford
- Wittering
- Wothorpe
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Peterborough
Below is a list of post towns in Peterborough, grouped by postcode area:
PE ▸ Peterborough (PE1 / PE2 / PE3 / PE4 / PE5 / PE6 / PE7 / PE8 / PE99)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Peterborough
Peterborough covers 19 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barnack
- Castor and Ailsworth
- Deeping St James *
- Eye (Peterborough)
- Farcet *
- Glinton
- Helpston
- Market Deeping *
- Maxey
- Newborough (Peterborough)
- Northborough
- Peterborough *
- Stamford *
- Thorney
- Ufford (Peterborough)
- Wansford *
- Wittering *
- Wothorpe *
- Yaxley (Huntingdonshire) *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Peterborough.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Peterborough
Peterborough is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Peterborough Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
London North Eastern Railway ▸ Peterborough (PE1 1QL)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Peterborough compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Peterborough compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Peterborough has 22 electoral wards.
Peterborough has a population of 223,655 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Peterborough
This chart shows the population trend for Peterborough from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Peterborough can be found on the ONS statistics for Peterborough.