Dover District | |
|---|---|
 Shakespeare Cliff andDover town skyline and coastline | |
 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 | Mike Tapp (Labour) Polly Billington (Labour) |
| Area | |
• Total | 121.56 sq mi (314.84 km2) |
| • Rank | 116th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 119,768 |
| • Rank | 208th(of 296) |
| • Density | 985.26/sq mi (380.41/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (UTC) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UE (ONS) E07000108 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TR315415 |
Dover is alocal government district inKent, England. It is named after its largest town, the port town ofDover. The council is based inWhitfield on the outskirts of Dover. The district also covers the towns ofDeal,Sandwich andWalmer as well as the surrounding rural areas.
The district bordersThanet District to the north, theCity of Canterbury to the west, andFolkestone and Hythe District to the south-west. To the south and east, it faces theStrait of Dover.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal 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]
Dover District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Nadeem Aziz since April 2002[5] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 32 |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council Offices, Honeywood Close, White Cliffs Business Park, Whitfield, Dover, CT16 3PJ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Dover District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byKent County Council.[6] The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7]
Following the2023 election, the council was underLabour majority control.[8] They subsequently lost their majority following changes of allegiance in January 2025, leaving the council under no overall control.[9]
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:[10][11]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1991 | |
| No overall control | 1991–1995 | |
| Labour | 1995–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2023 | |
| Labour | 2023–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025–present | |
Theleaders of the council (formally the chair of the policy and resources committee prior to 2001) have been:[12]
| 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[13] | Labour | Nov 1998 | 1999 | |
| Terry Birkett[14] | Labour | 1999 | 2001 | |
| Peter Wells | Labour | 2001 | 2003 | |
| Paul Watkins[15][16] | Conservative | 14 May 2003 | 30 Sep 2017 | |
| Keith Morris[17][18] | Conservative | 18 Oct 2017 | 14 Oct 2019 | |
| Trevor Bartlett[19][20] | Conservative | 30 Oct 2019 | May 2023 | |
| Kevin Mills[21] | Labour | 17 May 2023 | ||
Following the2023 election,[22] and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[23]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 14 | |
| Labour | 12 | |
| Independent | 6 | |
| Total | 32 | |
Three of the independent councillors form the "Independent Group". The next election is due in 2027.[23]
The council's main offices are at the White Cliffs Business park in the parish ofWhitfield, to the north of the town of Dover itself.[24]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 32councillors representing 17wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[25]
The northern boundary of the district is theRiver Stour; on its western side is the district of Canterbury; to the south the parish of Capel-le-Ferne; and to the east theStraits of Dover. The southern part of the latter is the point where theNorth Downs meets the sea, at theWhite Cliffs of Dover. Further north along the coast, fromDeal onwards, the land is at sea level, where theRiver Stour enters the sea by a circuitous route. It is here, on the sand-dunes, that theRoyal St George's Golf Club, founded in 1887, and of international repute, is situated.
In the district are industrial remains of the erstwhile Kentcoalfield, situated aroundTilmanstone andBetteshanger. Half of the underwater section of theChannel Tunnel is under British Sovereignty and thus part of the district.
There are 35civil parishes covering the whole district. The parish councils of Deal, Dover, Sandwich and Walmer take the style "town council".[26]
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 theRoman roads ofWatling Street and that leading fromRichborough. Today the main road, theA2, closely follows Watling Street to Dover.
Councillor Reg Hansell...
Councillor Terry Birkett, Leader of the Council...
