Dover District | |
---|---|
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | South East England |
Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Dover |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | Dover District Council |
• Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
• MPs | Natalie Elphicke (Labour) Craig Mackinlay (Conservative) |
Area | |
• Total | 121.56 sq mi (314.84 km2) |
• Rank | 116th (of 296) |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 117,473 |
• Rank | 206th (of 296) |
• Density | 970/sq mi (370/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC0 (UTC) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
ONS code | 29UE (ONS) E07000108 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | TR315415 |
Dover is a local government district in Kent, England. It is named after its largest town, the port town of Dover. The council is based in Whitfield on the outskirts of Dover. The district also covers the towns of Deal, Sandwich and Walmer as well as the surrounding rural areas.
The district borders Thanet District to the north, the City of Canterbury to the west, and Folkestone and Hythe District to the south-west. To the south and east, it faces the Strait of Dover.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the whole area of four former districts and part of a fifth, all of which were abolished at the same time: [2]
The new district was named Dover after its largest town. [3]
Dover District Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Nadeem Aziz since April 2002 [4] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 32 |
Political groups |
Other parties (15)
|
Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Last election | 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Council Offices, Honeywood Close, White Cliffs Business Park, Whitfield, Dover, CT16 3PJ | |
Website | |
www |
Dover District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council. [5] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [6]
Since the 2023 election the council has been under Labour majority control. [7]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [8] [9]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1974–1991 | |
No overall control | 1991–1995 | |
Labour | 1995–1999 | |
No overall control | 1999–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2023 | |
Labour | 2023-present |
The leaders of the council (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been: [10] [11]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander Greenway-Stanley | Conservative | 1974 | 1976 | |
Raymond Norley | Conservative | 1976 | 1977 | |
Alexander Greenway-Stanley | Conservative | 1977 | 1978 | |
Gwladys Payne | Conservative | 1978 | 1986 | |
Graham Forster | Conservative | 1986 | Sep 1986 | |
Paul Watkins | Conservative | Sep 1986 | 1989 | |
George Tyler | Conservative | 1989 | Oct 1989 | |
Christopher Smith | Conservative | Oct 1989 | 1992 | |
Paul Watkins | Conservative | 1992 | Dec 1993 | |
Tony Sansum | Labour | Dec 1993 | Nov 1995 | |
Terry Birkett | Labour | Nov 1995 | 1998 | |
Reg Hansell [12] | Labour | Nov 1998 | 1999 | |
Terry Birkett [13] | Labour | 1999 | 2001 | |
Peter Wells | Labour | 2001 | 14 May 2003 | |
Paul Watkins [14] | Conservative | 14 May 2003 | 30 Sep 2017 | |
Keith Morris [15] | Conservative | 18 Oct 2017 | 14 Oct 2019 | |
Trevor Bartlett | Conservative | 30 Oct 2019 | 17 May 2023 | |
Kevin Mills | Labour | 17 May 2023 |
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was: [16]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 17 | |
Conservative | 14 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 32 |
The next election is due in 2027.
The council's main offices are at the White Cliffs Business park in the parish of Whitfield, to the north of the town of Dover itself. [17]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 32 councillors representing 17 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [18]
The northern boundary of the district is the River Stour; on its western side is the district of Canterbury; to the south the parish of Capel-le-Ferne; and to the east the Straits of Dover. The southern part of the latter is the point where the North Downs meets the sea, at the White Cliffs of Dover. Further north along the coast, from Deal onwards, the land is at sea level, where the River Stour enters the sea by a circuitous route. It is here, on the sand-dunes, that the Royal St George's Golf Club, founded in 1887, and of international repute, is situated.
In the district are industrial remains of the erstwhile Kent coalfield, situated around Tilmanstone and Betteshanger. Half of the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel is under British Sovereignty and thus part of the district.
There are 35 civil parishes covering the whole district. The parish councils of Deal, Dover, Sandwich and Walmer take the style "town council". [19]
Deal Timeball is a Victorian maritime Greenwich Mean Time signal located on the roof of a waterfront four-storey tower. It was established in 1855 by the Astronomer Royal George Biddell Airy in collaboration with Charles V. Walker.
Crossing Dover district are the Roman roads of Watling Street and that leading from Richborough. Today the main road, the A2, closely follows Watling Street to Dover.
Sandwich is a town and civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, south-east England. It lies on the River Stour and has a population of 4,985. Sandwich was one of the Cinque Ports and still has many original medieval buildings, including several listed public houses and gates in the old town walls, churches, almshouses and the White Mill. While once a major port, it is now 2 miles (3 km) from the sea due to the disappearance of the Wantsum Channel. Its historic centre has been preserved. Sandwich Bay is home to nature reserves and two world-class golf courses, Royal St George's and Prince's. The town is also home to many educational and cultural events. Sandwich also gave its name to the food by way of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and the word sandwich is now found in several languages.
Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent, in England. Located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is six miles (9.7 km) south-east of Sandwich, Kent. The town's coastline and castle are popular amongst tourists. It has a population of 6,693 (2001), increasing to 8,178 at the 2011 Census.
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. The district is named after its largest town of Stratford-upon-Avon, but with a change of preposition; the town uses "upon" and the district uses "on". The council is based in Stratford-upon-Avon and the district, which is predominantly rural, also includes the towns of Alcester, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, and the large villages of Bidford-on-Avon, Studley and Wellesbourne, plus numerous other smaller villages and hamlets and surrounding rural areas. The district covers the more sparsely populated southern part of Warwickshire, and contains nearly half the county's area. The district includes part of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Tendring District is a local government district in north-east Essex, England. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea, the largest town. Other towns are Brightlingsea, Harwich, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.
Gravesham is a local government district with borough status in north-west Kent, England. The council is based in its largest town of Gravesend. The borough is indirectly named after Gravesend, using the form of the town's name as it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086. The district also contains Northfleet and a number of villages and surrounding rural areas.
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the coast of the English Channel. The district was formed in 1974 and was originally named Shepway after one of the ancient lathes of Kent, which had covered a similar area. The district was renamed in 2018. The council is based in Folkestone, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Hawkinge, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
South Ribble is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The borough also includes the towns and villages of Penwortham, Leyland, Farington, Hutton, Longton, Walmer Bridge, Salmesbury, Lostock Hall, Walton le Dale and Bamber Bridge. Many of the built-up areas in the borough form part of the wider Preston built-up area.
Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Bexhill-on-Sea. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.
Braintree District is a local government district in Essex, England. The district is named after the town of Braintree, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Halstead and Witham and surrounding rural areas.
Canterbury, also known as the City of Canterbury, is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Canterbury, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Fordwich, Herne Bay and Whitstable, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Parts of the district lie within the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of the Kent Downs.
Thanet is a local government district in Kent, England. The council is based in Margate and the district also contains the towns of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea, along with several villages. It takes its name from the Isle of Thanet, a former island which gradually became connected to the mainland between the 12th and 16th centuries.
Kent County Council is a county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Kent in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the unitary authority of Medway. Kent County Council is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 81 elected councillors. It is one of the largest local authorities in England in terms of population served and the largest local authority of its type. The council is based at County Hall in Maidstone. It has been under Conservative majority control since 1997.
Dover and Deal is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Mike Tapp representing the Labour Party.
South Thanet was a constituency in Kent.
Tilmanstone is a small village and civil parish in Kent, in the South East of England, near Eastry, a much bigger and more developed area. Tilmanstone no longer has a village school; however, the independent Northbourne Park School is close to the parish boundary. The name of Tilmanstone has historically been famous for its colliery, although it is located in the village of Eythorne, operated from 1906 to 1986 as one of the four main pits of the Kent coalfield. The population taken at the 2011 Census also included that of the nearby hamlet of Ashley.
The A256 is a major road running along the east coast of Kent between the Isle of Thanet and Dover. It is operated by Kent County Council as a primary route, and has seen investment in the past to connect traffic to the Port of Ramsgate, and to the Pfizer research centre in Sandwich.
The East Kent Light Railway was part of the Colonel Stephens group of cheaply built rural light railways in England. Holman Fred Stephens was engineer from its inception, subsequently becoming director and manager. The line ran from Shepherdswell to Wingham Station with a branch from Eastry through Poison Cross to Richborough Port. Built primarily for colliery traffic within the Kent Coalfields, the line was built with many spurs and branches to serve the mines, with cancelled plans to construct extensions to several others. The success of Tilmanstone colliery allowed the main line of the railway to continue operation until 1986. A remainder of the line became the East Kent Railway, a heritage railway, in 1987.
The Miner's Way Trail is a long-distance circular footpath in England, starting at Sholden, Kent. Linking up the coalfield parishes of East Kent. Including; the parishes of Deal, Ash, Aylesham, Chillenden, Eastry, Eythorne, Elvington, Goodnestone, Nonington, Northbourne, Coldred, Staple, Tilmanstone and Wingham.
The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership was established in 1989, to help landowners care for the special coast and countryside of Dover and Folkestone and Hythe districts. This includes the only two stretches of Heritage Coast in Kent; the Dover-Folkestone Heritage Coast and the South Foreland Heritage Coast between Dover and Kingsdown near Deal.
Councillor Reg Hansell...
Councillor Terry Birkett, Leader of the Council...