COLCHESTER’S newly-awarded city status will be solidified and “made official” during a Royal visit, it has been confirmed.

Colchester Council has confirmed city status, which was announced last week to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, will not be official until “the letters patent” are presented to the mayor.

A spokesman said: “City status is made official during a royal visit, when the letters patent are presented to the mayor, confirming its new status at a formal council meeting.

“Colchester cannot officially call itself a city until that moment.

“In the case of Southend, it took around two months from the announcement that it was to become a city and the royal visit taking place.”

Gazette: Colchester was granted city status last weekColchester was granted city status last week

Letters patent are legal instruments generally issued by the monarch granting an office, right, title or status.

Sir Bob Russell, High Steward of Colchester, said he hopes Colchester will continue to call its “main local government building” the Town Hall.

“It is my understanding that Manchester became a city in 1853 – but they have continued to call their main local government building the Town Hall,” he said.

“I hope that will remain the case in Colchester. Although we have been a borough since 1974, thus the town and 30 plus communities elsewhere, it has remained the Town Hall.

“Also – the Town Serjeant has retained that title. I trust that this will also continue.”

Gazette: Colchester's High Steward Sir Bob RussellColchester's High Steward Sir Bob Russell (Image: Public)

The council spokesman said: “Although Colchester is nominally now a city, it will take time for everyone to understand what that means.

“The council will need to take stock and understand how this will affect our communities.

"Colchester has many villages and small towns with their own identities, which we would always take into consideration.

“It is too early, especially at the present time in the municipal year, to be definite about what city status will mean and we will need time to understand it from both a political and a governance perspective.”