In the local government reorganisation of 1974 the City of Rochester was merged with the borough of Chatham and part of the Strood Rural District including the Hoo Peninsula. The resulting district was the District of Medway. The district sought and obtained a charter making it a borough, thus preserving the mayoralties of Rochester and Chatham. The area of the former City of Rochester was permitted to continue styling itself City under letters patent. In 1979 the borough council passed a resolution renaming itself as the Borough of Rochester-upon-Medway. In 1982 further letters patent extended city status to the whole borough making it the City of Rochester-upon-Medway.
