City of Canterbury
Non-metropolitan district, borough, city
Canterbury
Aerial of Canterbury Cathedral and the surrounding area
Aerial of Canterbury Cathedral and the surrounding area
Canterbury shown within Kent
Canterbury shown within Kent
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyKent
StatusNon-metropolitan district, Borough, City
Admin HQCanterbury
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyCanterbury City Council
 • LeadershipCommittee system, Alan Baldock (Labour)
 • MPsRosie Duffield
Roger Gale
Area
 • Total119.24 sq mi (308.84 km2)
 • Rank117th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total156,554
 • Rank131st (of 296)
 • Density1,300/sq mi (510/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code29UC (ONS)
E07000106 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTR145575
Map
Click the map for an interactive fullscreen view

Canterbury (/ˈkæntərbəri/),[2][3] also known as the City of Canterbury, is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. As well as Canterbury itself, the district extends to the towns of Fordwich, Herne Bay and Whitstable.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 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

Canterbury City Council
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Jean Butcher,
Labour
since 17 May 2023[4]
Alan Baldock,
Labour
since 17 May 2023[5]
Tricia Marshall
since 2022
Structure
Seats39
Political groups
Administration (27)
  Labour (18)
  Liberal Democrats (9)
Other parties (12)
  Conservative (8)
  Green (4)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Canterbury Guildhall (formerly the Church of the Holy Cross)
Website
www.canterbury.gov.uk

See also: Canterbury local elections

Elections for to all seats on the city council are held every four years. After being under no overall control for a number of years, the Conservative party gained a majority in 2005 following a by election and defection from the Liberal Democrats.

Following the 2023 United Kingdom local elections the political composition of Canterbury council is as follows (2017 results follows by-elections):[6]

Year Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP Green
2023 8 18 9 0 4
2019 23 10 6 0
2017 30 4 3 2

Meeting place

After the Church of the Holy Cross, which was commissioned by Archbishop Simon Sudbury and completed before his death in 1381,[7][8] 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 the Prince of Wales as the new Canterbury Guildhall and meeting place of the city council on 9 November 1978.[9] The council's main offices are the Council Offices on Military Road, Canterbury.[10]

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:[11]

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 Group 1991[12] 2001[13] 2011[14]
Number % Number % Number %
White: Total 121,942 98.4% 130,700 96.6% 140,620 93%
White: British – – 125,289 92.6% 132,269 87.5%
White: Irish – – 1,338 1,260
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller – – – – 374
White: Other – – 4,073 3% 6,717 4.4%
Asian or Asian British: Total 1,086 0.9% 1,964 1.5% 5,135 3.4%
Asian or Asian British: Indian 349 600 1,448
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 34 77 306
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 110 117 251
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 279 650 1,436
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian 314 520 1,694
Black or Black British: Total 409 0.3% 610 0.5% 1,937 1.3%
Black or Black British: Caribbean 121 186 437
Black or Black British: African 149 384 1,338
Black or Black British: Other Black 139 40 162
Mixed or British Mixed: Total – – 1,362 1% 2,551 1.7%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean – – 331 680
Mixed: White and Black African – – 134 305
Mixed: White and Asian – – 494 897
Mixed: Other Mixed – – 403 669
Other: Total 510 0.4% 642 0.5% 902 0.6%
Other: Arab – – – – 405
Other: Any other ethnic group 510 0.4% 642 0.5% 497
Total 123,947 100% 135,278 100% 151,145 100%
Population pyramid of the City of Canterbury in 2020

Twin towns

The district participates in the Sister Cities programme, with links[15] 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:[15] see the articles on Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Canterbury Local Authority (E07000106)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Local Authority Districts, Counties and Unitary Authorities (April 2021) Map in United Kingdom". Office for National Statistics: Open Geography Portal. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Canterbury". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Jean Butcher". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Alan Baldock". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Declaration of result of poll - Canterbury - Election of a City Councillor for Reculver on 5 May 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2016.
  7. ^ Bax, Stephen (2000). "Canterbury buildings". Westgate Tower. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Church of the Holy Cross, Canterbury (1241661)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Remember Prince is Freeman of City". Kentish Gazette. 14 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Contact us". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Parish Councils". Canterbury City Council. 2008. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  12. ^ 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)
  13. ^ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  14. ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Twinning contacts". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.

External links

51°17′N 1°05′E / 51.28°N 1.08°E / 51.28; 1.08

Towns and villages in the Canterbury district of Kent, England
Ceremonial county of Kent
Districts of South East England
Cities of the United Kingdom and overseas territories
Authority control databases: Geographic
Categories