The Borough of Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone, the county town of Kent.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the municipal borough of Maidstone with the rural districts of Maidstone and Hollingbourne, under the Local Government Act 1972.[1]
The borough covers an area generally to the east and south of the town of Maidstone: as far north as the M2 motorway; east down the M20 to Lenham; south to a line including Staplehurst and Headcorn; and west towards Tonbridge. Generally speaking, it lies between the North Downs and the Weald, and covers the central part of the county. The M20 motorway crosses it from west to east, as does High Speed 1.
Geologically, the Greensand Ridge lies to the south of the town. The very fine sand provides a good source for glass-making. The clay vale beyond, through which flow the three rivers which meet at Yalding (the Medway, the Beult and the Teise), and the chalk North Downs all provide raw materials for paper- and cement-making; which are also local industries.
| Maidstone Borough Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Maidstone Borough Council.svg |
| Logo Res: | 220px |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Foundation: | 1 April 1974 |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | John Perry |
| Party1: | Conservative Party |
| Election1: | 18 May 2024[2] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Stuart Jeffery |
| Party2: | Green Party |
| Election2: | 18 May 2024 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Alison Broom |
| Election3: | June 2010[3] |
| Seats: | 49 councillors |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Voting System1: | First past the post |
| Last Election1: | 2 May 2024 |
| Next Election1: | 4 May 2028 |
| Session Room: | File:The Old Town Hall, Maidstone 2.jpg |
| Session Res: | 250px |
| Meeting Place: | Town Hall, High Street, Maidstone |
Maidstone Borough[4] represents the second tier of local government, being one of the local government districts of Kent. The Borough Council consists of 49 councillors, representing voters from 22 wards. Twelve of those wards are within the urban area of Maidstone: they are Allington; Bridge; Downswood & Otham; Fant; Heath; Grove Green and Vinters Park; High Street; North ward; Park Wood; Penden Heath; Shepway North; Shepway South; and South ward. The remaining 14 wards cover rural districts.[5]
The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2024 election, a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Greens and four of the independent councillors formed to run the council, led by Green councillor Stuart Jeffery.[6]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been held by the following parties:[7]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | ||
| 1976–1983 | ||
| 1983–2008 | ||
| 2008–2014 | ||
| 2014–2021 | ||
| 2021–2023 | ||
| 2023–present | ||
The role of Mayor of Maidstone is largely ceremonial, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1987 have been:[8]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paula Yates[9] | 1987 | 1992 | ||
| Dan Daley[10] | 1992 | 1999 | ||
| ? | 1999 | 2001 | ||
| Mick Stevens[11] | 2001 | 2006 | ||
| Eric Hotson | 2006 | 2007 | ||
| Fran Wilson | 2007 | 2008 | ||
| Christopher Garland | 2008 | 7 Jun 2014 | ||
| Annabelle Blackmore | 7 Jun 2014 | 23 May 2015 | ||
| Fran Wilson | 23 May 2015 | 19 May 2018 | ||
| Martin Cox | 19 May 2018 | 22 May 2021 | ||
| David Burton | 22 May 2021 | 7 May 2024 | ||
| Stuart Jeffrey | 18 May 2024 | |||
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was as follows:[12] [13]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 2 | |||
| Total | 49 | ||
See also: Maidstone Borough Council elections. Since the last boundary changes in 2024, 49 councillors have been elected from 26 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[16]
Council meetings are held at Maidstone Town Hall in the High Street. The council has its main offices at Maidstone House (formerly called Maidstone Gateway) on King Street in the centre of Maidstone.[17]
The third tier of local government is the civil parish; in Maidstone some of the parishes have neither a parish council nor a parish meeting, as indicated (1):
The River Medway was the earliest form of transport through the area. It was navigable for cargo-carrying craft as far upstream as Tonbridge, and it was only in the 19th century that the railways brought any change. More recently, various works have been carried out to control the frequent flooding in the clay vale upstream of Maidstone.
Maidstone, as its importance warranted, has been the hub of roads for many centuries. It lies very close to the Pilgrims' Way; and two Roman roads met south of the town: one from Rochester to Hastings the other branching off to the East Kent coast and Dover.
In the 18th century came the turnpiked roads. One of the earliest in the county – that to Rochester and Chatham – was opened in 1728.
In modern times, two motorways – the M2 and the M20 – pass to the far north of the borough and just north of the town centre of Maidstone respectively.
The earliest line through Kent was built by the South Eastern Railway. It was not, however, built to pass through Maidstone: instead, a station was built at Paddock Wood railway station, then named Maidstone Road, some six miles away. It was only in the period between 1844 (when that main line was connected by a branch line to Maidstone) and 1884 that Maidstone became a hub once more, although with local trains only, to Strood, Ashford and via Swanley Junction to London.
The area is served by the regional news programmes:
Radio stations that broadcast to the area are:
The area is served by the local newspaper, Kent Messenger. [18]