South Kesteven District | |
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 Shown within theceremonial county ofLincolnshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Administrative county | Lincolnshire |
| Founded | April 1974 |
| Admin. HQ | Grantham |
| Government | |
| • Type | South Kesteven District Council |
| • Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| • Executive: | Conservative |
| • MPs: | Gareth Davies, John Hayes, Caroline Johnson |
| Area | |
• Total | 364 sq mi (943 km2) |
| • Rank | 29th |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 147,151 |
| • Rank | Ranked 156th |
| • Density | 404/sq mi (156/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 32UG (ONS) E07000141 (GSS) |
| Ethnicity | 98.4% White |
South Kesteven is alocal government district inLincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditionalKesteven division of the county. Its council is based inGrantham. The district also includes the towns ofBourne,Market Deeping andStamford, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
South Kesteven bordersNorth Kesteven to the north,South Holland to the east, theCity of Peterborough andNorth Northamptonshire to the south,Rutland to the south-west, theMelton district ofLeicestershire to the west, and theNewark and Sherwood district ofNottinghamshire to the north-west.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. It covered the area of five former districts from theadministrative county of Kesteven, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was named South Kesteven referencing its position within Kesteven, one of the three historicparts of Lincolnshire.[3]
South Kesteven District Council | |
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 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Karen Bradford since 2020[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 56 councillors |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Council Offices, St Peter's Hill, Grantham, NG31 6PZ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
South Kesteven District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byLincolnshire County Council.[7] All of the district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[8]
The council has been underno overall control since the2023 election. Following that election, a coalition of some of the independent councillors with the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour formed to run the council.[9][10] As at May 2025, all the positions on the council's cabinet are held by independent councillors.[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 control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1979 | |
| Conservative | 1979–1991 | |
| No overall control | 1991–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2002 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Neal[14] | Conservative | 2002 | May 2015 | |
| Bob Adams[15][16] | Conservative | 21 May 2015 | 20 Apr 2017 | |
| Matthew Lee[16][17] | Conservative | 20 Apr 2017 | 26 Sep 2019 | |
| Kelham Cooke[18][19] | Conservative | 26 Sep 2019 | May 2023 | |
| Richard Cleaver[20][21] | Independent | 18 May 2023 | 25 Jan 2024 | |
| Ashley Baxter[22] | Independent | 25 Jan 2024 | ||
Following the 2023 election,[23] and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[24]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 22 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Labour | 2 | |
| Independent | 27 | |
| Total | 56 | |
Of the 27 independent councillors, nine form the "Democratic Independent Group", eight form the "Grantham Independent" group, five form the "Independent Group", three form the "South Kesteven Independent Group", and the other two are not aligned to any group.[25] The next election is due in 2027.[24]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 56councillors representing 30wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[26]
The council is based at the Council Offices on St Peter's Hill in Grantham. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1987.[27]
South Kesteven bordersNorth Kesteven to the north, as far east asHorbling, where theA52 crosses theSouth Forty-Foot Drain. From there south it bordersSouth Holland along the South Forty-Foot Drain, crossing the A151 just west ofGuthram Gowt. The border follows theRiver Glen near to Tongue End where at Baston, the boundary crosses north–south over Baston and Langtoft fens. It crosses theA1175 at theB1525 junction (the end of the Deepings bypass), then meets theWelland about two miles west ofCrowland at a point called Kennulph's Stone. The parish ofDeeping St. James is the south-east corner of the district, where the district borders the unitary authority ofCity of Peterborough. The boundary follows the Welland to Stamford, briefly following theB1443 (Barnack Road) where it skirts the edge ofBurghley Park.
At the point where therailway crosses under the A1, is the corner of two other districts – Rutland andNorth Northamptonshire. The boundary with Rutland follows the east side of the A1. Since 1991, none of the A1 bypass is in South Kesteven. The boundary meets that ofGreat Casterton, and briefly follows theB1081Ermine Street at Toll Bar. The boundary then follows that of Rutland, crossing the East Coast Main Line atBraceborough and Wilsthorpe and again atCarlby. AtCastle Bytham, the boundary follows the east side of the A1, and crosses the A1 atSouth Witham, where a little further west is a corner with the district ofMelton. The boundary follows that ofLeicestershire along the formerSewstern Lane, which is now theViking Way where it crosses the eastern end ofSaltby Airfield. The boundary deviates from the Viking Way atWoolsthorpe-by-Belvoir where it briefly follows theRiver Devon. It crosses the A52 and railway atSedgebrook. This area is part of theVale of Belvoir. The boundary then passes through the formerRAF Bottesford, where just north it meets the district ofNewark and Sherwood (Staunton) at Three Shire Oak. The boundary crosses the A1 at Shire Bridge. It follows Shire Dyke atClaypole, crossing theEast Coast Main Line, then briefly follows theRiver Witham. The north-west corner of the district is on the River Witham at Claypole just south ofBarnby in the Willows. Further east, a two-mile section of theA17 skirts the district, just east ofByards Leap.
A corner of the district is where it meets the former route ofErmine Street, and now the Viking Way. This is the point where it meets the corners of Cranwell and Byard's Leap, andTemple Bruer with Temple High Grange in North Kesteven. The boundary follows the Viking Way for three miles south, crossing the A17. It follows theB6403 to just north ofAncaster. It skirts Ancaster then rejoins the B6403 south of Ancaster to a point just south ofRAF Barkston Heath. It passes just east ofOasby, crosses the A52, passes east ofBraceby and Sapperton andPickworth, then north ofFolkingham. North of Horbling it follows the A52 all the way to Donington High Bridge.
The district's border withNorthamptonshire is Britain's smallest border at only 10 metres long.[28] However, the boundary with Rutland was altered in April 1991.
All of the district is covered bycivil parishes, the parish councils for Bourne, Grantham, Market Deeping and Stamford have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council. The parishes are:[29]
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There was a population of 124,745 in the district at the 2001 census; it is the second-largest district in Lincolnshire by population afterEast Lindsey. However, it has the most people in the county aged under 19 and 25–49. It has the most university-educated people in the county and the healthiest people.[30] It has the most employed people in the county – 61,000. The median age of the district is 39.
The district is the second least deprived in Lincolnshire, afterNorth Kesteven. 60% of the district live in the towns. Fifteen of the villages are classed as "larger villages" in the district'slocal plan.[31] In the 2001 census, the district had 58,033 dwellings. For Lower Level Super Output Areas (around 1,500 population), there are 18 in the top 10% least deprived in England; around 30,000 people.
Farming is the main rural industry. TheNational Transmission System passes north–south through the district just west ofBourne and theA15.
23% of occupations are in hotel and catering; 23% in public administration, education, and health; and 27% in construction and manufacturing.[32][33] 18% of companies are in knowledge-based industries, fairly high for the nearby region, but lower than Peterborough or Rutland (both 20%); the UK average is 20%. Although the district has a lower job density (jobs per resident) than the UK average, the relatively low local unemployment rate means many residents work outside the district. This also means that unemployed residents would be better looking for employment outside the district.
Stamford has a presence in the publishing sector, specialising in domestic pets and aviation, helped by the proximity ofEMAP in Orton, Peterborough. The largest employer in Bourne is the Bourne Prepared Produce site ofBakkavör, who prepare salads, andstir fry vegetables.
The district opened its first purpose-built business innovation centre, calledEventus,[34][35] on theA1175 at Market Deeping in July 2010. This is to attract high-tech companies, which the district notably lacks (as does most of the county), and was funded by the district and county councils. The district has a stable economy. It lies in the Welland Sub Regional Strategic Partnership (Welland SSP), which covers the district apart from Grantham, and has been run by Welland Enterprise (owned by Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services[36]) based atStoke Rochford. Grantham is covered by Lincolnshire Enterprise.[37] Outside of the main towns, commercial development has been allocated forColsterworth and the Roseland Business Park[38] atLong Bennington on part of the formerRAF Bottesford.
The district forms the northern sector of the Peterborough Sub-Region (formed also with Rutland, South Holland,East Northamptonshire,Huntingdonshire andFenland). Bourne, Stamford and Market Deeping are in Peterborough'stravel to work area (TTWA). North of there, Grantham is the next TTWA. TheA15 corridor to Bourne is where most people in the district work in Peterborough. At the 2001 census it was found only 65% of workers work in the district, but 13% go to Peterborough, 3% to Rutland and 2% to North Kesteven. Around 21% of people working in the district live elsewhere – 3% from North Kesteven and Peterborough, and 2% from Rutland. Around 700 people in the district travel to work in London.
In 2011, South Kesteven District Council invested £60,000 to transform a patch of wasteland in Greyfriars into a revitalised play area for children. The initiative is now known as the Arnoldsfield Adventure Area.[39]
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The district has a 130-mile walk called the South Kesteven Round.[40]Other attractions be found in the towns of Bourne (Bourne Abbey), Grantham (St Wulfram's Church), Market Deeping, Stamford (Churches, markets etc.) among other places..
TheA1 passes through the district as does theEast Coast Main Line. TheA52 is a busy east–west route. TheA15 is a quieter route and goes through the centre of many villages.
TheBirmingham to Peterborough Line passes through Stamford, which is one of the few east–west routes.
TheSkegness to Nottingham line (The Poacher Line)[41] and the East Coast Main Line serve Grantham. This is another east–west route that also carries train services between Norwich and Liverpool.
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC East Midlands andITV Central broadcast from theWaltham TV transmitter.[42] However, theBelmont transmitter is also received that broadcastBBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire andITV Yorkshire which also covers the area.[43] With theco-channel interference from the Waltham transmitter, a small number of households in the southern tip of the district are able to receiveBBC East andITV Anglia.[44]
Radio stations for the area are:[45]
The district has 51 primary schools and 10 state secondary schools. There are 8 independent schools.
The district had one of two teacher training colleges in the county until 1978 whenKesteven College of Education atStoke Rochford Hall closed. More recently the district had the Kesteven Agricultural College atCaythorpe Court, in the north of the district. It was taken over by the newly formedUniversity of Lincoln, who closed it one year later in 2002.
Due to neighbouringRutland not having a further education college, it relies onNew College Stamford. Rutland also shares an Employment and Skills Board,[46]Education Business Partnership,[47]Connexions (agency),[48]Aimhigher centre,[49] andlearndirect service (Lincolnshire & Rutland Hub based atLincoln College).
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On Thursday 23 June 2016 South Kesteven voted in only the third major UK-wide referendum on the issue of theUnited Kingdom's membership of theEuropean Union in the2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of theEuropean Union Referendum Act 2015 where voters were asked to decide on the question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” by voting for either "Remain a member of the European Union" or "Leave the European Union". The result saw a decisive vote to "Leave the European Union" by 60% of the electorate on a high turnout of 78%. The result went against the views of the local MPNick Boles who was in favour of a "Remain" vote.
The result was declared at Meres Leisure Centre inGrantham early on Friday 24 June by the "Counting officer" (CO) Beverly Agass.
| United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 South Kesteven | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave the European Union | 49,424 | 59.93% | |
| Remain a member of the European Union | 33,047 | 40.07% | |
| Valid votes | 82,471 | 99.94% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 52 | 0.06% | |
| Total votes | 82,523 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 105,457 | 78.25% | |
| Leave: 49,424(59.9%) | Remain: 33,047 (40.1%) | ||
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52°48′N0°30′W / 52.80°N 0.50°W /52.80; -0.50
