[1] The district council was granted a charter entitling it to be known as the Borough of Medway, and preserving the mayoralties of Rochester and Chatham.

[5] On creation in 1974 the new Medway Borough Council applied to inherit the city status of Rochester, but this was refused.

[6] Instead, special letters patent were granted on 18 March 1974, which declared that the existing area would continue to constitute the City of Rochester, notwithstanding its abolition as a local government authority.

[5][7] In rejecting the council's application, the Home Office noted that it might be possible to extend city status to the entire borough in the future, provided that "Rochester" feature in its name.

[6] Following a review by the Local Government Commission for England, the city was abolished on 1 April 1998, when it was merged with the neighbouring Borough of Gillingham to form a new unitary authority of Medway.