Wikipedia

City of Canterbury

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.

City of Canterbury
Non-metropolitan district, borough, city
Canterbury
Aerial view of Canterbury Cathedral and the surrounding area
Aerial view of Canterbury Cathedral and the surrounding area
Canterbury shown within Kent
Canterbury shown within Kent
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyKent
StatusNon-metropolitan district, Borough, City
Admin HQCanterbury
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyCanterbury City Council
 • MPsRosie Duffield
Roger Gale
Area
 • Total
119.24 sq mi (308.84 km2)
 • Rank117th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
157,550
 • Rank132nd (of 296)
 • Density1,300/sq mi (510/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code29UC (ONS)
E07000106 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTR145575
Map
Click the map for an interactive fullscreen view

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

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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 declared the city to be a county corporate, appointing its own sheriff, making it administratively independent from the surrounding county 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

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Canterbury City Council
 
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Jean Butcher,
Labour
since 17 May 2023[14]
Alan Baldock,
Labour
since 17 May 2023[15]
Tricia Marshall
since 2022
Structure
Seats39
 
Political groups
Administration (27)
  Labour (18)
  Liberal Democrats (9)
Other parties (12)
  Conservative (8)
  Green (4)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
 
Guildhall, St Peter's Place, Canterbury, CT1 2DB
Website
www.canterbury.gov.uk

Canterbury City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council.[16] The more rural parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[17]

Political control

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The council has been under no overall control since April 2023.[18] Following the May 2023 elections a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Alan Baldock.[19]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[20]

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

Leadership

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The role of lord mayor in Canterbury is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council (formally the chair of the policy committee prior to 2002). The leaders since 1974 have been:[21]

Councillor Party From To
Arthur Porter[22] Conservative 1 Apr 1974 19 May 1982
Jim Nock Conservative 19 May 1982 31 Aug 1986
Peter Lee[23] Conservative 1 Sep 1986 10 May 1987
Jim Nock[24] Conservative 21 May 1987 9 May 1990
David Pentin Conservative 10 May 1990 16 May 1991
Jackie Hayes Liberal Democrats 16 May 1991 21 Feb 1994
Terry Rees Labour 11 Apr 1994 19 May 1994
Celia Rigden[25] Independent 19 May 1994 15 Aug 1994
Marion Attwood Conservative 15 Aug 1994 3 Oct 1994
Iain Douglas Labour 3 Oct 1994 21 Nov 1994
Celia Rigden Independent 21 Nov 1994 7 May 1995
Peter Wales Liberal Democrats 18 May 1995 1 Dec 1997
Martin Vye Liberal Democrats 1 Dec 1997 20 May 1999
(no leader) 20 May 1999 8 May 2002
Alex Perkins Liberal Democrats 8 May 2002 11 May 2005
Harry Cragg Conservative 11 May 2005 16 May 2007
John Gilbey Conservative 16 May 2007 10 May 2015
Simon Cook Conservative 20 May 2015 5 May 2019
Rob Thomas Conservative 22 May 2019 10 Sep 2020
Ben Fitter-Harding Conservative 10 Sep 2020 7 May 2023
Alan Baldock Labour 17 May 2023

Compositions

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Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[26]

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

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

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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.[27]

Premises

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Council meetings are held at Canterbury Guildhall at the corner of St Peter's Place and St Peter's Street, adjoining the Westgate.[28] 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.[29][30] 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.[31]

The council's main offices are the Council Offices on Military Road, Canterbury, which was built in the 1980s.[32] During 2024 the council plans to vacate Military Road and move its offices to converted parts of the Whitefriars Shopping Centre.[33]

Geography

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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:[34]

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

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Ethnic Group 1991[35] 2001[36] 2011[37]
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

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The district participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links[38] 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:[38] see the articles on Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  17. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  18. ^ Pallant, James (5 April 2023). "Conservative Party loses majority on Canterbury City Council after councillor defections". Kent Online. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  19. ^ Esson, Daniel (18 May 2023). "Labour and Liberal Democrats form coalition on Canterbury City Council". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Council minutes". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Once the leader... now the mayor". Whitstable Times. 21 May 1982. p. 12. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Lee is new leader". Whitstable Times. 21 August 1986. p. 5. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Tories take the lot in council election". Whitstable Times. 14 May 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Tories blamed for resignation". Whitstable Times. 28 October 1993. Retrieved 26 July 2022. Veteran Whitstable councillor Celia Rigden has resigned from the Conservative group... will now sit as an independent...
  26. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  27. ^ "The Canterbury (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3336, retrieved 13 May 2024
  28. ^ "Calendar". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  29. ^ Bax, Stephen (2000). "Canterbury buildings". Westgate Tower. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  30. ^ Historic England. "Church of the Holy Cross, Canterbury (1241661)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  31. ^ "Remember Prince is Freeman of City". Kentish Gazette. 14 February 2013.
  32. ^ "Contact us". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  33. ^ Honey, Sam (4 July 2023). "Plans show fresh look at the new Canterbury City Council offices". Kent Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Parish Councils". Canterbury City Council. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  35. ^ Data is taken from United Kingdom Casweb Data services of the United Kingdom 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England, Scotland and Wales (Table 6)
  36. ^ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  37. ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  38. ^ a b "Twinning contacts". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
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51°17′N 1°05′E / 51.28°N 1.08°E / 51.28; 1.08

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