City of Canterbury explained

Canterbury,[1] [2] 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 declared the city to be a county corporate, appointing its own sheriff, making it administratively independent from the surrounding county of Kent.[3] 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.[4] Although administratively independent, Canterbury was still deemed part of Kent for the purposes of lieutenancy.[5]

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:[6]

The Bridge-Blean Rural District entirely surrounded the old city; the urban districts occupied the coastal area to the north.[7] The new district was named Canterbury after its largest settlement.[8] 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.[9] Canterbury's city status was extended to cover the whole of the new borough.

In 1988 the position of mayor was given the honorific title of lord mayor. 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.[10]

Governance

Canterbury City Council
Logo Pic:Canterbury City Council.svg
Logo Res:200px
Foundation:1 April 1974
Leader1 Type:Lord Mayor
Leader1:Jean Butcher
Party1:
Labour
Election1:17 May 2023[11]
Leader2 Type:Leader
Leader2:Alan Baldock
Party2:
Labour
Election2:17 May 2023[12]
Leader3 Type:Head of Paid Service
Leader3:Tricia Marshall
Election3:2022
Seats:39
Structure1:UK_Canterbury_City Council_2023.svg
Structure1 Res:260
Political Groups1:
Administration (27)
  • Labour (18)
    Other parties (12)
  • Conservative (8)
  • Green (4)
  • Last Election1:4 May 2023
    Next Election1:6 May 2027
    Session Room:The Guildhall, Canterbury (geograph 3467978).jpg
    Meeting Place:Guildhall, St Peter's Place, Canterbury, CT12DB

    Canterbury City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council.[13] The more rural parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[14]

    Political control

    The council has been under no overall control since April 2023.[15] Following the May 2023 elections a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Alan Baldock.[16]

    Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[17]

    Party in control Years
    1974–1991
    1991–2005
    2005–2023
    2023–present

    Leadership

    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:[18]

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

    Compositions

    Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[23]

    PartyCouncillors
    18
    9
    8
    4
    Total39
    The next election is due in 2027.

    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.[24]

    Premises

    Council meetings are held at Canterbury Guildhall at the corner of St Peter's Place and St Peter's Street, adjoining the Westgate.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]

    The council's main offices are the Council Offices on Military Road, Canterbury, which was built in the 1980s.[28] During 2024 the council plans to vacate Military Road and move its offices to converted parts of the Whitefriars Shopping Centre.[29]

    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:[30]

    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 Group1991[31] 2001[32] 2011[33]
    Number%Number%Number%
    White

    Total

    121,94298.4%130,70096.6%140,62093%
    White: British125,28992.6%132,26987.5%
    White: Irish1,3381,260
    White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller374
    White: Other4,0733%6,7174.4%
    Asian or Asian British

    Total

    1,0860.9%1,9641.5%5,1353.4%
    Asian or Asian British: Indian3496001,448
    Asian or Asian British: Pakistani3477306
    Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi110117251
    Asian or Asian British: Chinese2796501,436
    Asian or Asian British: Other Asian3145201,694
    Black or Black British

    Total

    4090.3%6100.5%1,9371.3%
    Black or Black British: Caribbean121186437
    Black or Black British: African1493841,338
    Black or Black British: Other Black13940162
    Mixed or British Mixed

    Total

    1,3621%2,5511.7%
    Mixed: White and Black Caribbean331680
    Mixed: White and Black African134305
    Mixed: White and Asian494897
    Mixed: Other Mixed403669
    Other: Total5100.4%6420.5%9020.6%
    Other: Arab405
    Other: Any other ethnic group5100.4%6420.5%497
    Total123,947100%135,278100%151,145100%

    Twin towns

    The district participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links[34] 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:[34] see the articles on Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

    See also

    External links

    51.28°N 1.08°W

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Local Authority Districts, Counties and Unitary Authorities (April 2021) Map in United Kingdom . 2023-08-01 . Office for National Statistics: Open Geography Portal . en-us.
    2. Web site: n.d. . Canterbury . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923222546/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/canterbury?showCookiePolicy=true . 23 September 2015 . 24 September 2014 . Collins Dictionary.
    3. Book: Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 2 . 1835 . 685–687 . 13 May 2024.
    4. act. Local Government Act 1888. 1888. 41. 13 May 2024.
    5. Book: Militia Act . 1882 . 21 . 18 February 2024.
    6. si. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972. 1972. 2039. 12 May 2024.
    7. Web site: Kent: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1972 . National Library of Scotland . Ordnance Survey . 13 May 2024.
    8. si. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973. 1973. 551. 3 March 2023.
    9. Web site: District Councils and Boroughs. 28 March 1974. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 12 May 2024.
    10. Book: Canterbury City Council Constitution . 2024 . Canterbury City Council . 16 . 13 May 2024.
    11. Web site: Jean Butcher. Canterbury City Council . 27 May 2023.
    12. Web site: Alan Baldock . Canterbury City Council . 27 May 2023.
    13. act. Local Government Act 1972. 1972. 70. 31 May 2023.
    14. Web site: Election Maps . Ordnance Survey . 25 July 2023.
    15. News: Pallant . James . Conservative Party loses majority on Canterbury City Council after councillor defections . 30 April 2023 . Kent Online . 5 April 2023.
    16. News: Esson . Daniel . Labour and Liberal Democrats form coalition on Canterbury City Council . 25 September 2023 . Kent Online . 18 May 2023.
    17. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 9 September 2022.
    18. Web site: Council minutes . Canterbury City Council . 26 July 2022.
    19. News: Once the leader... now the mayor . 26 July 2022 . Whitstable Times . 21 May 1982 . 12.
    20. News: Lee is new leader . 26 July 2022 . Whitstable Times . 21 August 1986 . 5.
    21. News: Tories take the lot in council election . 26 July 2022 . Whitstable Times . 14 May 1987 . 1.
    22. News: Tories blamed for resignation . 26 July 2022 . Whitstable Times . 28 October 1993 . Veteran Whitstable councillor Celia Rigden has resigned from the Conservative group... will now sit as an independent....
    23. Web site: Local elections 2023: live council results for England. The Guardian.
    24. si. The Canterbury (Electoral Changes) Order 2014. 2014. 3336. 13 May 2024.
    25. Web site: Calendar . Canterbury City Council . 13 May 2024.
    26. Web site: Canterbury buildings. Bax. Stephen. 2000. Westgate Tower. 28 January 2010. 12 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110712221914/http://weblingua.hostinguk.com/invictaweb/canterburybuildings/pages/wstgt.htm. dead.
    27. News: Remember Prince is Freeman of City. 14 February 2013. Kentish Gazette.
    28. Web site: Contact us . Canterbury City Council . 25 September 2023.
    29. News: Honey . Sam . Plans show fresh look at the new Canterbury City Council offices . 13 May 2024 . Kent Live . 4 July 2023.
    30. Web site: Parish Councils . Canterbury City Council . 2008 . 5 September 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100815052908/http://www2.canterbury.gov.uk/committee/mgListCommittees.aspx?PC=1&bcr=1 . 15 August 2010 .
    31. 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)
    32. Web site: Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics . 2021-09-07 . webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
    33. Web site: 2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales . 2021-12-15 . webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
    34. Web site: Twinning contacts . 21 July 2012 . https://archive.today/20120721071647/http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/buildpage.php?id=1133 . 21 July 2012 . dead .