For the main settlement within this district, see Canterbury. For the former local government area in Australia, see City of Canterbury (New South Wales).

Canterbury (/ˈkæntərbəri/),[2][3] 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.

The neighbouring districts (clockwise from east) are Thanet, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Ashford and Swale, all of which are also in Kent. To the north the district has a coast onto the North Sea.

History

Canterbury itself was an ancient borough, which had held city status from time immemorial. The earliest known charter was issued by Henry II (reigned 1154–1189). A subsequent charter in 1448 gave the city the right to appoint a mayor. Another in 1461 gave the city the right to appoint its own sheriff, making it a county corporate, independent from the jurisdiction of the Sheriff of Kent.[4] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Canterbury's independence was maintained by making it a county borough, independent from the new Kent County Council.[5] Although administratively independent, Canterbury was still deemed part of Kent for the purposes of lieutenancy.[6]

The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[7]

The Bridge-Blean Rural District entirely surrounded the old city; the urban districts occupied the coastal area to the north.[8] The new district was named Canterbury after its largest settlement.[9] The district is a non-metropolitan district, with Kent County Council providing county-level services to the area. The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Canterbury's series of mayors dating back to 1448.[10] Canterbury's city status was extended to cover the whole of the new borough.[11]

In 1988 the position of mayor was given the honorific title of lord mayor.[12] The council continues to appoint a ceremonial sheriff; the sheriff no longer has any judicial functions, but the title is today taken by the deputy chair of the council.[13]

Governance

Canterbury City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council.[18] The more rural parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[19]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since April 2023.[20] Following the May 2023 elections a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition was formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Alan Baldock.[21]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[22]

Party in control Years
Conservative 1974–1991
No overall control 1991–2005
Conservative 2005–2023
No overall control 2023–present

Leadership

The role of lord mayor in Canterbury is largely ceremonial. Since 2002 the council has formally appointed a leader of the council to provide political leadership; the chair of the policy committee was sometimes called the leader prior to 2002. The leaders since 2002 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Alex Perkins[23][24] Liberal Democrats 8 May 2002 11 May 2005
Harry Cragg[24][25] Conservative 11 May 2005 May 2007
John Gilbey[26][27] Conservative 16 May 2007 May 2015
Simon Cook[28][29] Conservative 20 May 2015 May 2019
Rob Thomas[30][31] Conservative 22 May 2019 Sep 2020
Ben Fitter-Harding[32][33] Conservative 10 Sep 2020 May 2023
Alan Baldock[34] Labour 17 May 2023

Compositions

Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections up to March 2025, the composition of the council was:[35][36]

Party Councillors
Labour 18
Liberal Democrats 9
Conservative 8
Green 4
Total 39

The next election is due in 2027.[36]

Elections

See also: Canterbury City Council elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 21 wards with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[37]

Premises

Council meetings are held at Canterbury Guildhall at the corner of St Peter's Place and St Peter's Street, adjoining the Westgate.[38] The building was formerly the Church of the Holy Cross. It had been commissioned by Archbishop Simon Sudbury and was completed before his death in 1381.[39][40] After the church was declared redundant and deconsecrated in 1972, it was acquired by the city council and converted for municipal use: it was officially re-opened by Prince Charles as the council's meeting place on 9 November 1978.[41]

The council's main offices are the Council Offices on Military Road, Canterbury, which was built in the 1980s.[42] During 2024 the council plans to vacate Military Road and move its offices to converted parts of the Whitefriars Shopping Centre.[43]

Geography

Within the district are the towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable, which, with the rural parishes and the cathedral city itself, make up the district of the City of Canterbury. There are 27 parishes within the district, as follows:[44]

Swalecliffe is an unparished area within the district.

The district is largely rural, with a coastal strip taken up by the almost unbroken spread of seaside towns and beaches from Seasalter, west of Whitstable, to Herne Bay. Between them and the city the hills rise into the wooded area of Blean, south of which the Great Stour flows from its source beyond Ashford.

Demography

Ethnic Group 1991[45] 2001[46] 2011[47]
Number % Number % Number %
White: Total 121,942 98.4% 130,700 96.6% 140,620 93%
White: British – – 125,289 92.6% 132,269 87.5%
White: Irish – – 1,338 1,260
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller – – – – 374
White: Other – – 4,073 3% 6,717 4.4%
Asian or Asian British: Total 1,086 0.9% 1,964 1.5% 5,135 3.4%
Asian or Asian British: Indian 349 600 1,448
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 34 77 306
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 110 117 251
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 279 650 1,436
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian 314 520 1,694
Black or Black British: Total 409 0.3% 610 0.5% 1,937 1.3%
Black or Black British: Caribbean 121 186 437
Black or Black British: African 149 384 1,338
Black or Black British: Other Black 139 40 162
Mixed or British Mixed: Total – – 1,362 1% 2,551 1.7%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean – – 331 680
Mixed: White and Black African – – 134 305
Mixed: White and Asian – – 494 897
Mixed: Other Mixed – – 403 669
Other: Total 510 0.4% 642 0.5% 902 0.6%
Other: Arab – – – – 405
Other: Any other ethnic group 510 0.4% 642 0.5% 497
Total 123,947 100% 135,278 100% 151,145 100%
Population pyramid of the City of Canterbury in 2020

Twin towns

The district participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links[48] to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, and Vladimir, Russia.

The Three Towns Association was founded in 1985 on the initiative of three local clergymen to promote person-to-person contact between ordinary people in the UK, the U.S. and Russia. The name was subsequently changed to the Three Cities Association. The Association chose Vladimir as the twin city in Russia because it is the seat of Christianity in that country as Canterbury is the seat of Christianity in England. Vladimir was already twinned with Bloomington-Normal. Among other activities, the Association arranged home-stay exchanges between the two Simon Langton Schools in Canterbury and School No. 23 in Vladimir, where the teaching was conducted in English.

Several towns and villages within the City of Canterbury have their own twinning arrangements:[48] see the articles on Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Canterbury Local Authority (E07000106)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Local Authority Districts, Counties and Unitary Authorities (April 2021) Map in United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics: Open Geography Portal. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Canterbury". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. ^ Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 2. 1835. pp. 685–687. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 13 May 2024
  6. ^ Lely, John Mounteney (1882). Militia Act. p. 21. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  7. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 12 May 2024
  8. ^ "Kent: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1972". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  9. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 March 2023
  10. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  11. ^ "No. 46303". The London Gazette. 31 May 1974. p. 6485.
  12. ^ "No. 51416". The London Gazette. 20 July 1988. p. 8235.
  13. ^ Canterbury City Council Constitution (PDF). Canterbury City Council. 2024. p. 16. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Jean Butcher". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Alan Baldock". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Senior management structure". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  17. ^ "Council minutes, 24 October 2024". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  19. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  20. ^ Pallant, James (5 April 2023). "Conservative Party loses majority on Canterbury City Council after councillor defections". Kent Online. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  21. ^ Esson, Daniel (18 May 2023). "Labour and Liberal Democrats form coalition on Canterbury City Council". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Canterbury" in search box to see specific results.)
  23. ^ "Council minutes, 8 May 2002". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Council minutes, 11 May 2005". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  25. ^ Claridge, Alex (17 May 2007). "Council leader ousted days after election win". Kent Online. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Council minutes, 16 May 2007". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  27. ^ Warren, Gerry (14 November 2014). "Canterbury City Council leader John Gilbey says he will not be seeking re-election". Kent Online. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Council minutes, 20 May 2015". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  29. ^ Castle, Vicky; Ashton, Ben; Rider, Will (3 May 2019). "Kent local elections 2019: The results in full, map, and how many seats the Tories lost". Kent Live. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Council minutes, 22 May 2019". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  31. ^ "New Cabinet Member at KCC". Kent County Council. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  32. ^ "Council minutes, 10 September 2020". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  33. ^ Esson, Daniel (5 May 2023). "Kent local elections 2023: Big changes at Canterbury City Council as Tories lose control". Kent Online. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  34. ^ "Council minutes, 17 May 2023". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  35. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  36. ^ a b "Canterbury". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  37. ^ "The Canterbury (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3336, retrieved 13 May 2024
  38. ^ "Calendar". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  39. ^ Bax, Stephen (2000). "Canterbury buildings". Westgate Tower. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  40. ^ Historic England. "Church of the Holy Cross, Canterbury (1241661)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  41. ^ "Remember Prince is Freeman of City". Kentish Gazette. 14 February 2013.
  42. ^ "Contact us". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  43. ^ Honey, Sam (4 July 2023). "Plans show fresh look at the new Canterbury City Council offices". Kent Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  44. ^ "Parish Councils". Canterbury City Council. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  45. ^ Data is taken from United Kingdom Casweb Data services of the United Kingdom 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England, Scotland and Wales Archived 5 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine (Table 6)
  46. ^ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  47. ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  48. ^ a b "Twinning contacts". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.

51°17′N 1°05′E / 51.28°N 1.08°E / 51.28; 1.08

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