King could help cities keep status after council shake-up

The King could be involved in the process of ensuring Preston and Lancaster do not lose their status as cities when the councils for the two areas are abolished.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said officials in both places have been told the status is likely to be protected by letters patent, legal documents authorised by King Charles III.

The two cities are expected to become part of larger councils in 2029, a change that could otherwise result in the titles being surrendered.

Preston was granted city status in 2002, while Lancaster became a city in 1937.

Rochester, in Kent, accidentally lost its city status in 1998 when it became part of the new Medway Council and failed to appoint the necessary trustees to guard the title.

Lancashire's 15 main councils are set to be scrapped as part of a government-ordered overhaul that will see them replaced with a handful of new, streamlined authorities.

In July, ministers announced that four new councils would be created – one of which would merge the existing Preston, Lancaster and Ribble Valley local authority footprints.

However, that decision was overturned last month over legal concerns and ministers are now reassessing five alternative council structures proposed by Lancashire's existing authorities.

Amid that ongoing uncertainty, Preston City Council leader Matthew Brown welcomed the prospect of city status being protected.

He said: "It is vital that Preston's city status is protected for generations to come and I fully support the use of letters patent to protect the City of Preston.

"Whatever the decision may be around local government reorganisation, Preston must remain a city in its own right - with its name, identity and civic status preserved."

Lancaster City Council leader Caroline Jackson said: "There are risks that you can lose your city status by doing something inadvertent."

She added that the letters would be a simpler option for the government rather than "expecting us to go through a very complex legal process".

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