Cities will keep their status when local councils are reorganised, local government minister Jim McMahon has promised, even if that means passing new laws.
His assurance follows concern in Gloucester, which has been a city since 1541. Councillors feared the title could be lost under plans to abolish Gloucester City Council and merge it with six Gloucestershire districts into a single ‘super council’.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr McMahon said it would be wrong for a city to lose its status simply because the authority it was tied to had been scrapped.
‘I can give an absolute assurance that even if we have to introduce new legislation to preserve that status, we will do whatever we have to do to ensure that no city loses its city status through reorganisation,’ he said.
‘City status and ceremonial matters play a valuable role for local pride.’
Cllr Jeremy Hilton, who represents Kingsholm and Wotton, said he was relieved and pleased by the commitment.
