Duties are limited to ceremonial activities such as the election of a mayor, and various other functions depending upon local customs and laws.

[1] Section 245(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 allowed the shadow district councils to make a petition to the Queen for borough status, before their coming into effect on 1 April 1974.

In this case, if "it is signified on behalf of Her Majesty before that date that She proposes to accede" to the request then, the style of borough could be used immediately from 1 April 1974, despite the fact that the charter would be presented only later.

A further wave of reorganisations came into effect in some areas of England on 1 April 2009, under the terms of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

[3] unparished area became various parishes in 2003 The structural changes to local government in 2009 led to the formation of Charter Trustees for Crewe, Macclesfield, Chester and Ellsemere Port.

Charter trustees were established in April 2019 for Bournemouth, Poole and Taunton as a consequence of local government structural changes in Dorset and Somerset.