Dover District

Non-metropolitan district in England

Dover District

Non-metropolitan district

Coat of arms

Dover shown within Kent

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 (Conservative)
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative)
Area

• Total| 121.56 sq mi (314.84 km2)
• Rank| 116th (of 296)
Population

(2021)

• Total| 116,595
• Rank| 206th (of 296)
• Density| 960/sq mi (370/km2)
• Ethnicity

| 99.5% White (British)
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, Walmer and 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.

## History[edit]

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:[1]

* Deal Municipal Borough
* Dover Municipal Borough
* Dover Rural District
* Eastry Rural District (except five parishes which went to Thanet)
* Sandwich Municipal Borough

The new district was named Dover after its largest town.[2]

## Governance[edit]

Dover District Council

Type
Type|

Non-metropolitan district

Leadership

Chair

Gordon Cowan,
Labour
since 17 May 2023

Leader

Kevin Mills,
Labour
since 17 May 2023

Chief Executive

Nadeem Aziz
since April 2002[3]

Structure
Seats| 32

Political groups

Administration (17)
Labour (17)

Other parties (15)

Conservatives (14)
Independent (1)
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.gov.uk

Dover District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council.[4] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[5]

### Political control[edit]

Since the 2023 election the council has been under Labour majority control.[6]

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:[7][8]

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

### Leadership[edit]

The leaders of the council (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been:[9][10]

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[11] |  | Labour | Nov 1998 | 1999
Terry Birkett[12] |  | Labour | 1999 | 2001
Peter Wells |  | Labour | 2001 | 14 May 2003
Paul Watkins[13] |  | Conservative | 14 May 2003 | 30 Sep 2017
Keith Morris[14] |  | Conservative | 18 Oct 2017 | 14 Oct 2019
Trevor Bartlett |  | Conservative | 30 Oct 2019 | 17 May 2023
Kevin Mills |  | Labour | 17 May 2023 |

### Composition[edit]

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[15]

Party  | Councillors

|

| Labour | 17
| Conservative | 14
| Independent | 1
Total | 32

The next election is due in 2027.

### Premises[edit]

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.[16]

### Elections[edit]

See also: Dover District Council elections

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.[17]

## Geography[edit]

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.

## Parishes[edit]

See also: List of civil parishes in Kent

There are 35 civil parishes covering the whole district. The parish councils of Deal, Dover, Sandwich and Walmer take the style "town council".[18]

* Alkham
* Ash
* Aylesham
* Capel-le-Ferne
* Deal (town)
* Denton with Wootton
* Dover (town)
* Eastry
* Eythorne
* Goodnestone
* Great Mongeham
* Guston
* Hougham Without
* Langdon
* Lydden
* Nonington
* Northbourne
* Preston
* Ringwould with Kingsdown
* Ripple
* River
* Sandwich (town)
* Shepherdswell with Coldred
* Sholden
* St Margaret's at Cliffe
* Staple
* Stourmouth
* Sutton
* Temple Ewell
* Tilmanstone
* Walmer (town)
* Whitfield
* Wingham
* Woodnesborough
* Worth

## Communications[edit]

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.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
2. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
3. ^ "Meet the board". Visit Kent. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
4. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
5. ^ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
6. ^ Esson, Daniel (17 May 2023). "New Labour leader of Dover District Council reveals plan for cabinet". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
7. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
8. ^ "Dover". BBC News Online. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
9. ^ "Past leaders of the council". Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
10. ^ "Council minutes". Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
11. ^ "Council minutes, 21 February 2007" (PDF). Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022. "Councillor Reg Hansell..."
12. ^ "Press release: Foot and Mouth Disease" (PDF). Dover District Council. 27 March 2001. Retrieved 27 July 2022. "Councillor Terry Birkett, Leader of the Council..."
13. ^ Robson, Beth (20 September 2017). "Dover District Council leader Cllr Paul Watkins to retire and says now is right time". Kent Online. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
14. ^ Lennon, Sam (14 October 2019). "Dover District Council leader Keith Morris resigns". Kent Online. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
15. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
16. ^ "Contact us". Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
17. ^ "The Dover (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/124, retrieved 25 June 2023
18. ^ "Town and parish council contact details". Dover District Council. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

## External links[edit]

* Dover District Council website
* Parish listing
* Deal High Street winner of the Telegraph's first High Street of the Year award
* Kent coalfield history
* Dover pictorial website
* Dover Community Radio (DCR)

* v
* t
* e

Settlements in the Dover District of Kent

| Towns|

* Deal
* Dover
* Sandwich
* Walmer

Villages and hamlets|

* Alkham
* Ash
* Ashley
* Aycliff
* Aylesham
* Barfrestone
* Barnsole
* Betteshanger
* Buckland
* Buttsole
* Capel-le-Ferne
* Chillenden
* Church Whitfield
* Coldred
* Coombe
* Denton
* Drellingore
* East Langdon
* Eastry
* East Studdal
* Elmstone
* Elvington
* Ewell Minnis
* Eythorne
* Farthingloe
* Finglesham
* Frogham
* Goodnestone
* Great Mongeham
* Little Mongeham
* Guston
* Hacklinge
* Ham
* Hoaden
* Hougham
* Kearsney
* Kingsdown
* Knowlton
* Langdon
* Lydden
* Marley
* Marshborough
* Martin
* Martin Mill
* Maxton
* Nonington
* Northbourne
* Preston-next-Wingham
* Richborough
* Ringwould
* Ripple
* River
* Shepherdswell
* Sholden
* Snowdown
* St Margaret's at Cliffe
* Staple
* Stourmouth
* Sutton
* Swingate
* Temple Ewell
* Tilmanstone
* Waldershare
* Ware
* West Langdon
* West Studdal
* West Cliffe
* Westmarsh
* Whitfield
* Wingham
* Woodnesborough
* Wootton
* Worth

Civil parishes|

* List of civil parishes in Kent

List of places in Kent

* v
* t
* e

Ceremonial county of Kent

Kent Portal

Unitary authorities|

Borough of Medway

Boroughs or districts|

* Borough of Ashford
* Borough of Dartford
* Borough of Gravesham
* Borough of Maidstone
* Borough of Swale
* Borough of Tonbridge and Malling
* Borough of Tunbridge Wells
* City of Canterbury
* District of Dover
* District of Folkestone & Hythe
* District of Sevenoaks
* District of Thanet

Major settlements
(cities in italics)|

* Ashford
* Broadstairs
* Canterbury
* Chatham
* Cranbrook
* Dartford
* Deal
* Dover
* Edenbridge
* Faversham
* Folkestone
* Fordwich
* Gillingham
* Gravesend
* Hawkinge
* Herne Bay
* Hythe
* Lydd
* Maidstone
* Margate
* Minster
* New Romney
* Northfleet
* Paddock Wood
* Queenborough
* Rainham
* Ramsgate
* Rochester
* Royal Tunbridge Wells
* Sandwich
* Sevenoaks
* Sheerness
* Sittingbourne
* Snodland
* Southborough
* Strood
* Swanley
* Tenterden
* Tonbridge
* Walmer
* West Malling
* Westerham
* Westgate-on-Sea
* Whitstable
See also: List of civil parishes in Kent

Rivers|

See: Rivers of Kent

Topics|

* Flag
* Parliamentary constituencies
* Members of Parliament
* Geography
* Places
* Population of major settlements
* SSSIs
* Country houses
* Grade I listed buildings
* Grade II* listed buildings
* Scheduled monuments
* History
* Schools
* Museums
* Lord Lieutenants
* High Sheriffs
* People
* Transport
* Windmills
* Culture
* London Paramount

* v
* t
* e

Districts of South East England

Berkshire|

* Bracknell Forest
* Reading
* Slough
* West Berkshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham

Buckinghamshire|

* Buckinghamshire
* Milton Keynes

East Sussex|

* Brighton and Hove
* Eastbourne
* Hastings
* Lewes
* Rother
* Wealden

Hampshire|

* Basingstoke and Deane
* East Hampshire
* Eastleigh
* Fareham
* Gosport
* Hart
* Havant
* New Forest
* Portsmouth
* Rushmoor
* Southampton
* Test Valley
* Winchester

Isle of Wight|

* Isle of Wight

Kent|

* Ashford
* Canterbury
* Dartford
* Dover
* Folkestone and Hythe
* Gravesham
* Maidstone
* Medway
* Sevenoaks
* Swale
* Thanet
* Tonbridge and Malling
* Tunbridge Wells

Oxfordshire|

* Cherwell
* Oxford
* South Oxfordshire
* Vale of White Horse
* West Oxfordshire

Surrey|

* Elmbridge
* Epsom and Ewell
* Guildford
* Mole Valley
* Reigate and Banstead
* Runnymede
* Spelthorne
* Surrey Heath
* Tandridge
* Waverley
* Woking

West Sussex|

* Adur
* Arun
* Chichester
* Crawley
* Horsham
* Mid Sussex
* Worthing

51°07′48″N 1°18′40″E﻿ / ﻿51.130°N 1.311°E﻿ / 51.130; 1.311
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