Borough status in the United Kingdom facts for kids

A borough is a special title given to certain local government areas in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It's mostly an honorary title, like a badge of honor, and doesn't give the local council or the people living there any extra powers. In Scotland, similar places used to be called royal burghs, but that title isn't given out anymore.

What are Boroughs and Where Did They Come From?

Long ago, before big changes in local government around 1973 and 1974, boroughs were towns that had special documents called charters. These charters gave them a lot of power and they were run by a group called a municipal corporation, led by a mayor.

Over time, there were different kinds of boroughs:

• County boroughs
• Municipal boroughs (also called non-county boroughs)
• Rural boroughs

Many of the oldest boroughs had their beginnings in the Middle Ages, or even further back to Anglo-Saxon times. Later, after the industrial revolution, many new industrial towns, holiday resorts, or suburban areas also became boroughs. Some boroughs were even important enough to be called cities.

Modern Boroughs: What They Are Today

Today, being a borough doesn't necessarily mean an area is a town or a city.

Boroughs in England and Wales

In England and Wales, outside of Greater London, a local area can ask the King or Queen for a charter to become a borough. To do this, at least two-thirds of the local councillors must agree. If the King or Queen approves, then:

• The area officially becomes a borough.
• Its local council becomes the borough council.
• The head of the council (the chairman) gets the special title of mayor of the borough. The vice-chairman becomes the deputy mayor. (This is different if the area already has an elected mayor).

Sometimes, these new borough councils can also appoint special "local officers of dignity." These are often ceremonial roles, like:

• Honorary recorder: This is usually the most senior judge in the area, given an honorary title.
• Sheriff: Appointed in some boroughs that used to be very independent areas.
• High steward: A very old title, now purely ceremonial, often held by a peer (a noble).

The council doesn't have to appoint anyone to these roles.

Some mayors even have extra titles, like "Admiral of the Port," which reminds people of old powers over local waterways. For example, the mayors of Poole and Southampton are admirals of their ports.

People who live in a new borough can also get special privileges or rights that belonged to citizens of the old borough. Borough councils can also give the title of "honorary freeman" to important people or groups (like military units or ships) who have done great service to the area.

Examples of Boroughs in England

Many areas across England have been granted borough status. Some examples include:

• Allerdale (became a borough in 1992)
• Basildon (became a borough in 2010)
• Birmingham (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Blackpool (became a borough in 1974)
• Bristol (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Canterbury (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Colchester (became a borough in 1974, then a city in 2022)
• Leeds (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Manchester (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Milton Keynes (became a borough in 1974, then a city in 2022)
• Newcastle upon Tyne (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Sheffield (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Southampton (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Stoke-on-Trent (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Sunderland (became a borough in 1974, then a city in 1992)
• Wolverhampton (became a borough in 1974, then a city in 2000)
• York (became a borough and city in 1974)

Greater London is divided into 32 London boroughs. They all got their borough status in 1965. Before that, they were made up of smaller boroughs. Some examples include:

• Barking and Dagenham
• Barnet
• Croydon
• Greenwich (a Royal Borough)
• Kensington and Chelsea (a Royal Borough)
• Westminster (also a city)

Examples of Boroughs in Wales

In Wales, districts created in 1974 could also become boroughs. When these districts were changed in 1996, the new larger councils could apply to become "county boroughs."

• Cardiff (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Newport (became a borough in 1974, then a city in 2002)
• Swansea (became a borough and city in 1974)
• Wrexham Maelor (became a borough in 1974)

Some of the new "county boroughs" created in 1996 include:

• Conwy
• Blaenau Gwent
• Bridgend
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Neath Port Talbot
• Rhondda Cynon Taff
• Torfaen
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Wrexham

Boroughs in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, if a council has borough status, its chairperson is called "mayor," and some of its councillors can be called "alderman." The council can also give out the "freedom of the borough" award.

After local government changes in 1972, 26 new areas were created. Councils could keep their borough status if they had it before, or new areas could apply for it. When more changes happened in 2015, creating 11 larger areas, councils could again choose to keep their borough status. Councils with a majority of unionist councillors usually chose to keep it, while those with a majority of nationalist councillors often did not.

Some examples of boroughs in Northern Ireland include:

• Antrim and Newtownabbey (kept borough status from Antrim in 2015)
• Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (kept borough status from Armagh in 2015, Armagh is also a city)
• Belfast (has been a borough since 1613 and a city since 1888)
• Causeway Coast and Glens (kept borough status from Coleraine in 2015)
• Derry and Strabane (Derry has been a borough since 1604 and is a city)
• Lisburn and Castlereagh (Lisburn has been a borough since 1964 and a city since 2002)
• Mid and East Antrim (kept borough status from Carrickfergus in 2015)
• Ards and North Down (kept borough status from North Down in 2016)