Are Portsmouth & Guildford cities?

[hexagon789]

i

EMR could even name a Class 153 "City of Matlock" as commemoration.

Indeed!

 

[Whistler40145]

I don't believe it is, I think it put in a bid in 2012 (?), but failed to obtain city status.

Cheers for your reply

 

[IanD]

... so size alone clearly isn't an indicator or it's a good indicator that once a city, always a city.

Rochester had city status for about 800 years until it lost it in 1998.

 

[infobleep]

Rochester had city status for about 800 years until it lost it in 1998.

What was the reason it lost it?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What was the reason it lost it?

An administrative stuff-up which was not actually noticed for some time after it happened. It became a unitary authority and some error of paperwork meant that the city status was not carried over. Once lost, it could not be reinstated.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And don't get me started on places like Milton Keynes and Reading that think referring to 'city centre' on road sign self-grants them city status....

I have no idea about Reading, but nobody in MK (unless they're thick) thinks it's got city status, nor does anyone other than the local gutter rag really care about it that much.

The signs said (they don't even mention "city" any more I think) "Welcome to the Borough[1] and New City of Milton Keynes".

A "New City" is a term used by the Commission for the New Towns to describe a large new town, of which MK was the only one though I think there may have been odd schemes for more that never happened.

A "New City" does not have to be a "city".

[1] It's not a borough any more either, it's a unitary.

 

[infobleep]

Regarding Guildford, if it ever becomes a city, I feel the same should happen for Kingston upon Thames being as the functions of Surrey County Council are shared between the two.

Kingston-upon-Thames was the county town of Surrey until the 1965 Local Government Act brought into Greater London and the town changed its name to Kingston upon Thames.

For whatever reason, Surrey County Council didn't decide to move out of the building, in order to remain with in Surrey and thus their headquarters now resided outside the area they administered.

They have I believe talked for a number of years about moving out and into Surrey, as it is now. Finally they will be doing just that.

The money they will get for selling off the prime real estate in Kingston upon Thames probably played its part in the sale.

 

[infobleep]

An administrative stuff-up which was not actually noticed for some time after it happened. It became a unitary authority and some error of paperwork meant that the city status was not carried over. Once lost, it could not be reinstated.

Wow. I didn't know city stays couldn't reconfered on a place. There again I didn't know it could be taken away.

Could they have not just introduced a law cover Rochester to correct the error. A one off law.

 

[si404]

[1] It's not a borough any more either, it's a unitary.

As the district, which had been granted borough status, wasn't abolished, it's still a borough.

Wow. I didn't know city stays couldn't reconfered on a place. There again I didn't know it could be taken away.

It wasn't removed - the entity with city status ceased to exist. There was nothing pre-existing to transfer the status to, nor was there nothing created (such as charter trustees, like Bath and Hereford did). It took 4 years for the new Medway Council to find out what had happened when they saw a list of cities without Rochester on it.

Could they have not just introduced a law cover Rochester to correct the error. A one off law.

Not a law, but sure, they could do what they for St Davids, which regained its lost city status in 1994.

 

[Meerkat]

Not a law, but sure, they could do what they for St Davids, which regained its lost city status in 1994.

is that its city status that was lost, or its ‘lost city’ status?

 

[adrock1976]

I have no idea about Reading, but nobody in MK (unless they're thick) thinks it's got city status, nor does anyone other than the local gutter rag really care about it that much.

The signs said (they don't even mention "city" any more I think) "Welcome to the Borough[1] and New City of Milton Keynes".

A "New City" is a term used by the Commission for the New Towns to describe a large new town, of which MK was the only one though I think there may have been odd schemes for more that never happened.

A "New City" does not have to be a "city".

[1] It's not a borough any more either, it's a unitary.

Thinking about a "New City" not having to be a "city", the ones I can think of are Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth Garden City. Very strangely (and possibly unique), both of the Garden Cities have the New Town of Stevenage sandwiched between them.

 

[Ianno87]

I have no idea about Reading, but nobody in MK (unless they're thick) thinks it's got city status, nor does anyone other than the local gutter rag really care about it that much.

The signs said (they don't even mention "city" any more I think) "Welcome to the Borough[1] and New City of Milton Keynes".

A "New City" is a term used by the Commission for the New Towns to describe a large new town, of which MK was the only one though I think there may have been odd schemes for more that never happened.

A "New City" does not have to be a "city".

[1] It's not a borough any more either, it's a unitary.

MK Dons seem to reckon it's a city: https://www.mkdons.com/news/2019/february/chorley-full-of-admiration-for-chairman/

Ben Chorley says he has ‘so much admiration’ for MK Dons chairman Pete Winkelman, for what he’s brought to the city of Milton Keynes and how he’s developed the Football Club.

“We were in each other’s pockets 24/7 up here – we only went home on a Sunday! We lived together, we ate Nando’s together. The way this City has come on is incredible – there were about five shops here when I first moved up here!”

 

[Mag_seven]

I have no idea about Reading, but nobody in MK (unless they're thick) thinks it's got city status, nor does anyone other than the local gutter rag really care about it that much.

The signs said (they don't even mention "city" any more I think) "Welcome to the Borough[1] and New City of Milton Keynes".

A "New City" is a term used by the Commission for the New Towns to describe a large new town, of which MK was the only one though I think there may have been odd schemes for more that never happened.

A "New City" does not have to be a "city".

[1] It's not a borough any more either, it's a unitary.

As a railway related aside, 86211 was named "City of Milton Kynes" - it was written off however in the Colwich Junction crash of 1986.

 

[IanD]

MK Dons seem to reckon it's a city: https://www.mkdons.com/news/2019/february/chorley-full-of-admiration-for-chairman/

Lots of people (not me) still think MK Dons is a fake football team so appropriate that it is based in a fake city.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Well, if they can confer city status on Newport, anywhere - even Guildford - can have it!!

 

[Ayman Ilham]

There was nothing pre-existing to transfer the status to, nor was there nothing created (such as charter trustees, like Bath and Hereford did). It took 4 years for the new Medway Council to find out what had happened when they saw a list of cities without Rochester on it.

Rochester has technically reapplied as the new unitary authority it's part of (Medway, which includes Chatham and Gillingham) in 2000, 2002 and 2012 but for some reason, it hasn't won it yet!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thinking about a "New City" not having to be a "city", the ones I can think of are Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth Garden City. Very strangely (and possibly unique), both of the Garden Cities have the New Town of Stevenage sandwiched between them.

I didn't think of the Garden Cities, but they're another example of that use of terminology, so the anti-MK people best be anti-those too

 

[Bevan Price]

Wikipedia has a list of current UK cities and their populations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_the_United_Kingdom

 

[Busaholic]

As the district, which had been granted borough status, wasn't abolished, it's still a borough.
It wasn't removed - the entity with city status ceased to exist. There was nothing pre-existing to transfer the status to, nor was there nothing created (such as charter trustees, like Bath and Hereford did). It took 4 years for the new Medway Council to find out what had happened when they saw a list of cities without Rochester on it.Not a law, but sure, they could do what they for St Davids, which regained its lost city status in 1994.

Having worked for the Probation Service in the Medway Towns, but involving liaison with council officials, etc, I could cast aspersions on the notion that nobody noticed that Rochester had lost its city status. There was SO much rivalry, even hatred, between Strood, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham. Got to say, one of those places was one of my favourites of all places in Kent, and one the absolute pits, but discretion prevents me identifying which ones.

 

[mailbyrail]

What about Garden City in Flintshire? - it's so small it makes St David's seem massive.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

What about Garden City in Flintshire? - it's so small it makes St David's seem massive.

Nope, having city in its name doesn't have anything to do with city status. The much larger Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City, both in Hertfordshire, don't have city status despite having 'city' in their names. The latter is next to an actual city (St Albans) though.

 

[Bald Rick]

Nope, having city in its name doesn't have anything to do with city status. The much larger Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City, both in Hertfordshire, don't have city status despite having 'city' in their names. The latter is next to an actual city (St Albans) though.

I wouldn’t say WGC is ‘next to’ St Albans. WGC is next to Hatfield. The latter is not a city, but it is something that rhymes with city.

 

[Busaholic]

I once went to Sofa City, but can't say I noticed a cathedral nearby.

 

[DaleCooper]

I once went to Sofa City, but can't say I noticed a cathedral nearby.

I hope you're not guilty of Menda City.

 

[Busaholic]

I hope you're not guilty of Menda City.

Only Saga City

 

[DaleCooper]

Only Saga City

Touché

 

[Requeststop]

Which train service stops at the most cities?

Norwich to Liverpool is six I think.

Aberdeen to Penzance which stops at 15 cities. Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, York, Leeds, Wakefield, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham. Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

I wouldn’t say WGC is ‘next to’ St Albans. WGC is next to Hatfield. The latter is not a city, but it is something that rhymes with city.

Well, both WGC and Hatfield seem to radiate around St Albans along with Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead.