Preston, a city and local government district in Lancashire, England, is located on the River Ribble. Preston was granted the status of a city in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. With Chorley and Leyland, Preston forms part of a conurbation. According to the 2001 census, it had an overall population of 335,000. Of this, 184,836 lived in the Preston urban sub-area: the figure for those living within the city limits is lower at around 130,000. Preston City Council is seeking to form a unitary authority, independent from Lancashire County Council, under the recent Local Government White Paper.