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Dover District

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Dover District
Non-metropolitan district
Shakespeare Cliff and Dover town skyline and coastline
Shakespeare Cliff and Dover town skyline and coastline
Coat of arms of the district council
Coat of arms
Dover shown within Kent
Dover shown within Kent
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyKent
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQDover
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyDover District Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet
 • MPsMike Tapp (Labour)
Polly Billington (Labour)
Area
 • Total
121.56 sq mi (314.84 km2)
 • Rank116th (of 296)
Population
 (2025)
 • Total
121,055
 • Rank208th (of 296)
 • Density995.84/sq mi (384.50/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (UTC)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code29UE (ONS)
E07000108 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTR315415

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 and Walmer as well as 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:[2]

The new district was named Dover after its largest town.[3]

Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Kent, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district becoming part of a new East Kent unitary authority.[4]

Governance

[edit]
Dover District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Susan Beer,
Labour
since 21 May 2025[5]
Kevin Mills,
Labour
since 17 May 2023
Nadeem Aziz
since April 2002[6]
Structure
Seats32 councillors[7]
Graph of the party split among 32 seats.
Political groups
Administration (12)
    Labour (12)
Other parties (20)
    Conservative (13)
    Independent (6)
    Green (1)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Meeting place
Image
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.[8] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9]

Political control

[edit]

Following the 2023 election, the council was under Labour majority control.[10] They subsequently lost their majority following changes of allegiance in January 2025, leaving the council under no overall control.[11]

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:[12][13]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1974–1991
No overall control1991–1995
Labour1995–1999
No overall control1999–2007
Conservative2007–2023
Labour2023–2025
No overall control2025–present

Leadership

[edit]

The leaders of the council (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been:[14]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Alexander Greenway-StanleyConservative19741976
Raymond NorleyConservative19761977
Alexander Greenway-StanleyConservative19771978
Gwladys PayneConservative19781986
Graham ForsterConservative1986Sep 1986
Paul WatkinsConservativeSep 19861989
George TylerConservative1989Oct 1989
Christopher SmithConservativeOct 19891992
Paul WatkinsConservative1992Dec 1993
Tony SansumLabourDec 1993Nov 1995
Terry BirkettLabourNov 19951998
Reg Hansell[15]LabourNov 19981999
Terry Birkett[16]Labour19992001
Peter WellsLabour20012003
Paul Watkins[17][18]Conservative14 May 200330 Sep 2017
Keith Morris[19][20]Conservative18 Oct 201714 Oct 2019
Trevor Bartlett[21][22]Conservative30 Oct 2019May 2023
Kevin Mills[23]Labour17 May 2023

Composition

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Following the 2023 election,[24] and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[25]

Party Councillors
Conservative14
Labour12
Independent6
Total32

Three of the independent councillors form the "Independent Group".[25]

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.[26]

Elections

[edit]

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.[27]

Geography

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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]

There are 35 civil parishes covering the whole district. The parish councils of Deal, Dover, Sandwich and Walmer take the style "town council".[28]

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

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  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Dover Local Authority (E07000108)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ↑ Lo, Hsin-Yi (16 July 2026). "Four new councils confirmed for Kent and Medway". BBC News.
  5. ↑ "Dover District Council elects new Chairman and Vice-Chairman". Dover District Council. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Meet the board". Visit Kent. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dover Council Composition". OpenCouncilData. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ↑ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Esson, Daniel (17 May 2023). "New Labour leader of Dover District Council reveals plan for cabinet". Kent Online. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Mehrez, Hedi (13 January 2025). "Labour lose overall control of Dover District Council after defection to Conservatives". Kent Live. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Dover" in search box to see specific results.)
  13. ↑ "Dover". BBC News Online. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  14. ↑ "Past leaders of the council". Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "Council minutes, 21 February 2007" (PDF). Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022. Councillor Reg Hansell...
  16. ↑ "Press release: Foot and Mouth Disease" (PDF). Dover District Council. 27 March 2001. Retrieved 27 July 2022. Councillor Terry Birkett, Leader of the Council...
  17. ↑ "Council minutes, 14 May 2003" (PDF). Dover District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ "Council minutes, 18 October 2017". Dover District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  20. ↑ Lennon, Sam (14 October 2019). "Dover District Council leader Keith Morris resigns". Kent Online. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 30 October 2019". Dover District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  22. ↑ Lennon, Sam (5 May 2023). "Labour gain 17 seats for overall control of Dover district in 2023 elections". Kent Online. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  23. ↑ "Council minutes, 17 May 2023". Dover District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  24. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  25. 1 2 "Dover". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  26. ↑ "Contact us". Dover District Council. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "The Dover (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/124, retrieved 25 June 2023
  28. ↑ "Town and parish council contact details". Dover District Council. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
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51°07′48″N 1°18′40″E / 51.130°N 1.311°E / 51.130; 1.311

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