Provosts were elected by the council and served not only as the chairman of that body, but as a figurehead for the town.
Each of the 32 Scottish local authorities elects a convener or provost, but it is only the four main cities, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee that have a Lord Provost.
Elgin Town Council decided to call the royal burgh a city in the mid 19th century.
However, Elgin’s claim to be a city was never ratified by either the Lord Lyon or the Convention of Royal Burghs.
In spite of this the council retained the title of lord provost for their chief magistrate.