They went to bed in a town and awoke in a city

By SteveCunningham

BRITAIN gained hundreds of thousands of city slickers this month. City status was conferred by the government upon Wolverhampton, Inverness and Brighton and Hove.

Reasons for city status are never given, but usually include population size and royal and historic links. City status is granted by the monarch on ministerial advice.

Of the three new cities, Brighton and Hove was the

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The City of Brighton

most obvious choice: its population is well over 300,000; it has a distinct civic pride; and its royal fortune came when the Prince Regent - later George IV - built the magnificent Pavilion there.

Towns granted city status used to contain a cathedral until Birmingham was given the royal charter in 1889. Contrary to popular belief, a city is not bound to have a cathedral - nor does a cathedral make it a city. Ely has a magnificent cathedral, but no city status. Meanwhile, the nearby city of Cambridge has no cathedral.

City status was last granted in 1994, to Armagh and St David's. Only 12 other towns have been given the honour since 1905, and the new status usually comes as part of a state event, such as Prince Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969 (Swansea) and the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 (Derby).

There are now 61 cities in the UK: 49 in England; four in Wales; five in Scotland; and three in Northern Ireland.

City status is purely honorary - the new cities gain no extra powers. Clive Cheesman, the Rouge Dragon Pursivant of the College of Arms - which issues coats of arms and is an expert on formalities - said new city status carried no legal authority or special hand-outs from the government.

'This title is not a piece of frippery but it doesn't signify anything special about the authority,' he said. The title could be useful in attracting business and tourists, but it changed little else.

That, however, has not dulled Brighton and Hove's delight at the honour. The mayor, Andy Durr, says it gives Brighton the chance to exploit the city name, especially in attracting tourists and more high-tech industry. 'Culturally and economically, we are already the City of the South,' he says. 'This makes it official.'

What would Queen Victoria have thought of the new cities The practice of creating them dates from her era when urban aspirations were rewarded with the city title.

It's unlikely, however, that she would have been amused by the city of Brighton, the resort revived by her predecessor. Victoria refused to use the royal palace there, judging it vulgar and showy.