Greater London - Governance

Governance

Greater London is not a city in the proper sense that the word applies in the United Kingdom, that of having city status granted by the Crown. Westminster London borough and the City of London are already cities, which would make such a status anomalous. Despite this, Greater London is commonly regarded as a city in the general sense of a municipality. A Lord Lieutenant of Greater London is appointed for its area, less the City of London, and for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997, this area is defined as a county.

The term "London" is normally used in reference to Greater London or to the overall conurbation, but not often to the ancient, tiny City of London. This small area is often referred to as "the City" or "the Square Mile" and it forms the main financial district. Archaically, the urbanised area of London was known as the Metropolis. In common usage, the terms "London" and "Greater London" are usually used interchangeably. It is officially divided for some purposes, with varying definitions, into Inner London and Outer London. For strategic planning purposes the region is divided into five sub regions.