City of Canterbury

For the settlement within the City of Canterbury, see Canterbury. For the local government area in Australia, see City of Canterbury (New South Wales).
City of Canterbury
Non-metropolitan district, Borough, City


Canterbury shown within Kent
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Kent
Status Non-metropolitan district, Borough, City
Admin HQ Canterbury
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body Canterbury City Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPs Julian Brazier
Roger Gale
Area
 • Total 119.24 sq mi (308.84 km2)
Area rank 137th (of 326)
Population (2011 est.)
 • Total 150,600
 • Rank 121st (of 326)
 • Density 1,300/sq mi (490/km2)
 • Ethnicity 93.4% White
2.2% S.Asian
1.6% Chinese and other
1.4% Mixed Race
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 29UC (ONS)
E07000106 (GSS)
OS grid reference TR145575
Website www.canterbury.gov.uk

The City of Canterbury (RP: /ˈkæntəbərɪ/ or /ˈkæntəbrɪ/[1]) is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. The main settlement in the district is Canterbury.

History

The district was formed on April 1st, 1974 by the merger of the existing city of Canterbury with the Whitstable and Herne Bay Urban Districts, and Bridge-Blean Rural District. The latter district entirely surrounded the city; the urban districts occupied the coastal area to the north.

Politics

Elections to the city council are held every four years, all of the 50 seats on the council being elected. After being under no overall control for a number of years, the Conservative party gained a majority at the 2007 election and increased it in the 2011 election.

Following the United Kingdom local elections, 2011 and subsequent by-elections,[2][3][4] and defections between groups the political composition of Canterbury council is as follows:

Year Conservative Liberal Democrat Labour Party UKIP
2014 34 11 3 2

Geography

Within the district are the towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable, which with the parishes and the cathedral city itself, make up the 'City of Canterbury' district. There are 26 parishes within the district, as follows:[5]

Swalecliffe is an unparished area within the district.

The area is largely rural, with a coastal strip taken up by the almost unbroken spread of seaside towns and beautiful beaches from Seasalter, west of Whitstable, to Herne Bay, Kent. Between them and the city, the hills rise into the well wooded historic Blean, south of which is the Great Stour flowing from its source beyond Ashford. The city of Canterbury stands upon this river.

Twin towns

The district participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links[6] to Bloomington-Normal, USA and Vladimir, Russia.

Several towns and villages within the City of Canterbury district have their own twinning arrangements;[6] see in particular Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Canterbury". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Declaration of Result of Poll : Canterbury : Election of a City Councillor for Seasalter" (PDF). Canterbury.gov.uk. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  4. ↑ "Declaration of Result of Poll : Canterbury : Election of a City Councillor for Seasalter" (PDF). Canterbury.gov.uk. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  5. ↑ "Parish Councils". Canterbury City Council. 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1

External links

Coordinates: 51°17′N 1°05′E / 51.28°N 1.08°E