 All cities where a local government unit that holds that status is abolished have to be re-issued with letters patent reconfirming city status following local government reorganisation where that holder has been abolished.This process was followed by a number of cities since 1974, and York and Hereford's status was confirmed twice, in 1974 and again in the 1990s.Failure to do so leads to the loss of city status as happened at Rochester in 1998 ("see above"), and also previously in St David's and Armagh, although both of these latter have regained city status since losing it.