Middlesbrough Borough Council is the local council of Middlesbrough. It is a unitary authority and borough council in the Tees Valley sub-region of the North East of England. It is based on the town of Middlesbrough, which is often considered to spread outside the borough boundaries into neighbouring Redcar and Cleveland with a total built-up population of 174,700; the borough extends southwards to a semi-rural area. Whilst part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes, it is in the region of North East England. It had a resident council population in 2001 of 134,855. A 2006 mid-year estimate suggests the Borough to have a population of 138,400. The borough council unsuccessfully bid to achieve city status in 2012, to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.