City of Peterborough

This article is about the local government district. For the individual settlement, see Peterborough. For other uses, see Peterborough (disambiguation).

City of Peterborough
City and unitary authority
Peterborough viewed from the top of the cathedral
Peterborough viewed from the top of the cathedral
City of Peterborough shown within Cambridgeshire
City of Peterborough shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates: 52°34′21″N 00°14′35″W / 52.57250°N 0.24306°W / 52.57250; -0.24306
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionEast of England
Ceremonial countyCambridgeshire
City regionCambridgeshire and Peterborough
City status1541[1]
Incorporated1 April 1974
Unitary authority1 April 1998
Named forPeterborough
Administrative HQSand Martin House, Fletton
Government
[2]
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • BodyPeterborough City Council
 • ExecutiveLeader and cabinet
 • ControlNo overall control
 • LeaderDennis Jones (L)
 • MayorMarco Cereste
 • MPs
Area
[3]
 • Total132 sq mi (343 km2)
 • Rank105th
Population
 (2022)[4]
 • Total217,705
 • Rank88th
 • Density1,640/sq mi (634/km2)
DemonymPeterborian
Ethnicity (2021)
[5]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[5]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode areas
PE
Dialling codes01733
ISO 3166 codeGB-PTE
GSS codeE06000031
Websitepeterborough.gov.uk

Peterborough, or the City of Peterborough,[6] is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and hamlets.

The district's area covers parts of the historic counties of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, as well as a small part of Cambridgeshire. In 1965, the area became part of the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough before becoming a district of Cambridgeshire in 1974. Located in the East Anglia region of England, the area borders the surrounding counties of Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. The population of the district was 202,259 making it the second-largest district by population in East Anglia (after East Suffolk).

Most of the contemporary district was formerly part of the Soke of Peterborough, a liberty within the historic county of Northamptonshire. Between 1889 and 1965, Peterborough was governed by the Soke of Peterborough County Council, making the Soke of Peterborough a completely autonomous, self-governing part of Northamptonshire, while the rest of that county was governed by Northamptonshire County Council. Today, the City of Peterborough district holds a similar status as part of Cambridgeshire to that which the Soke of Peterborough had as part of Northamptonshire, in that the contemporary district is a Unitary Authority with its own council, and a self-governing part of Cambridgeshire while the rest of that county is governed by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Peterborough was a Saxon settlement during the Anglo-Saxon era.[7] The district also includes outlying villages such as Thorney, Old Fletton, Werrington, Parnwell, Dogsthorpe, Eye Green, Glinton, Northborough, Maxey, Wittering, Wansford and Ailsworth.

The district borders North Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Fenland, South Kesteven and South Holland.

  1. ^ Beckett, John V. (2005). City Status in the British Isles, 1830–2002. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 0-7546-5067-7. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. ^ "About the council". Peterborough City Council. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Peterborough Local Authority (E06000031)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Local Authority Districts, Counties and Unitary Authorities (April 2021) Map in United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics: Open Geography Portal. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. ^ Lambert, Tim (14 March 2021). "A History of Peterborough". Local Histories. Retrieved 12 July 2022.