North Kesteven District | |
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District | |
    
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 Shown within theceremonial county ofLincolnshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Administrative county | Lincolnshire |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Admin. HQ | Sleaford |
| Government | |
| • Type | North Kesteven District Council |
| • Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| • MPs: | Caroline Johnson Hamish Falconer |
| Area | |
• Total | 356 sq mi (922 km2) |
| • Rank | 30th |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 122,468 |
| • Rank | Ranked 201st |
| • Density | 344/sq mi (133/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 | 32UE (ONS) E07000139 (GSS) |
| Ethnicity | 98.9% White |
North Kesteven is alocal government district inLincolnshire, England. The council is based inSleaford. The district also contains the town ofNorth Hykeham, which adjoins the neighbouring city ofLincoln, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
The neighbouring districts areLincoln,West Lindsey,East Lindsey,Boston,South Holland,South Kesteven andNewark and Sherwood.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. It covered the area of three former districts from theadministrative county ofKesteven, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was named North Kesteven referencing its position within Kesteven, one of the three historicparts of Lincolnshire.[3]
North Kesteven District Council | |
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 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Kath Marriott since 2024[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 43 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Last election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council Offices, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, NG34 7EF | |
| Website | |
| www | |
North Kesteven District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byLincolnshire County Council.[7] The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[8]
The council has been underConservative majority control since the2023 election.[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]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1987 | |
| No overall control | 1987–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–2023 | |
| Conservative | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2001 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Brighton[11] | Conservative | 2001 | 9 Mar 2017 | |
| Richard Wright[12] | Conservative | 30 Mar 2017 | ||
Following the 2023 election,[13] and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[14][15]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 25 | |
| Lincolnshire Independent | 9 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| Labour | 2 | |
| Reform | 2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| Total | 43 | |
Four of the independent councillors sit together as the "Group of Unaligned Members", and the other two do not belong to any group.[16] The next election is due in 2027.[15]
The council is based at theNorth Kesteven Council Offices at the corner of Kesteven Street and East Gate in Sleaford. The building had been built in 1856 as a row of houses called Lafford Terrace.[17][18] It was purchased in 1925 byKesteven County Council and converted to become its headquarters.
When local government was reorganised in 1974, it was originally planned to have North Kesteven's offices in Bracebridge Hall on Newark Road in Lincoln, then the base of North Kesteven Rural District Council. In November 1973, a decision was taken to base it in The Hoplands in Sleaford, the base of East Kesteven Rural District Council. In January 1974 it was realised that this building was too small for the size needed, and the 81 rooms of Kesteven County Council's headquarters in Sleaford would suit the new council instead. The Hoplands was subsequently demolished for housing.
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 43councillors representing 24wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[19]
North Kesteven bordersWest Lindsey (along theFoss Dyke and theRiver Witham) and the city ofLincoln to the north,East Lindsey to the north-east (along the River Witham),Boston (borough) to the east,South Holland to the south-east,South Kesteven to the south, and the county ofNottinghamshire to the west.
North Kesteven covers an area of 356 square miles (920 km2), of which 94% is classified as green space, which includes agricultural land and open space.[20]
The district is characterised by small settlements and large areas of arable farmland. More than 80% of the population live in rural settlements or a market town.[21] The two towns are Sleaford and North Hykeham, and the larger villages includeCranwell,Metheringham,Navenby,Ruskington andWaddington.
The district has two main RAF stations -RAF Cranwell (near Sleaford), andRAF Waddington (near Lincoln), both situated close to theA15, the main north–south road running through North Kesteven. The district is also home toRAF Digby, which lies between Sleaford andMetheringham. The formerRAF Swinderby, which can be found adjacent to theA46 near the western edge of the district, closed in 1995.
The predominantly rural nature of the district has encouraged people to move to the area to take advantage of its quality of life, low crime rates, relatively low house prices, good-quality education and local heritage. This is reflected in research, which has shown 90% of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live and 82% of residents feel their area is a place where people from different backgrounds can get on well together.[22]
North Kesteven is mostly rural in character but there are urban areas around the towns of North Hykeham and Sleaford. Sleaford forms an urban area with the nearby villages of Greylees, Holdingham, Leasingham and Quarrington, North Hykeham and Waddington form part of an urban area with the city of Lincoln.[23] Within the district, 40% of the population live in the "Lincoln Fringe", the area immediately surrounding Lincoln City.[24] 72 parishes serve the district communities, comprising 58 parish councils, two town councils and 12 parish meetings.
The population of the district was 107,766 at the 2011 census.[25]
The district has comprehensive schools inNorth Hykeham,Branston andWelbourn. The area aroundSleaford (includingRuskington) has selective schools. Other schools in the area includeKesteven and Sleaford High School andBranston Community College.
The district part fundsThe National Centre for Craft & Design, in the Hub building in Sleaford. Adjacent to it are annex buildings ofGrantham College, funded by the East MidlandsLSC.
In terms of television, East Lindsey is served byBBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire andITV Yorkshire broadcasting from theBelmont transmitter.[26]
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Lincolnshire,Lincs FM, andGreatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire.[27]
Lincolnshire Echo is the local newspaper.[28]
The entire district is divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Sleaford and North Hykeham take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes share grouped parish councils or haveparish meetings instead of parish councils.[29]
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