Sevenoaks | |
|---|---|
 St Nicholas Church inSevenoaks | |
 Sevenoaks shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Sevenoaks |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Sevenoaks District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (No overall control) |
| • MPs | Laura Trott Jim Dickson Tom Tugendhat |
| Area | |
• Total | 142.99 sq mi (370.34 km2) |
| • Rank | 94th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 122,748 |
| • Rank | 200th(of 296) |
| • Density | 858.44/sq mi (331.45/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UK (ONS) E07000111 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ525555 |
Sevenoaks is alocal government district[2] in westKent,England. Its council is based in the town ofSevenoaks.
The district wasformed on 1 April 1974 by the merger ofSevenoaks Urban District,Sevenoaks Rural District and part ofDartford Rural District.
The area is approximately evenly divided between buildings and infrastructure on the one hand and woodland or agricultural fields on the other. It contains the upper valley of theRiver Darenth and some headwaters of theRiver Eden.
The vast majority of the district is covered by theMetropolitan Green Belt.
In terms of districts, it bordersDartford to the north,Gravesham to the northeast,Tonbridge and Malling to the east, brieflyTunbridge Wells to the southeast. It also borders two which, equal to it, do not have borough status, theWealden district ofEast Sussex to the south and theTandridge district ofSurrey to the southwest. It borders the London Boroughs ofBromley andBexley to the northwest.
In the2021 Census, the district had a population of 120,514.[3]
Sevenoaks District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Pav Ramewal since 2013[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 54 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council Offices, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HG | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Sevenoaks District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byKent County Council. The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7]
In 2009 theAudit Commission named Sevenoaks District Council as one of the four best-run and most efficient councils in the country.[8]
The council has been underno overall control since May 2025, when a number of Conservative councillors left the party, which had previously held a majority of the council's seats.[9]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[10]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–1999 | |
| Conservative | 1999–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1999 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alison Cook[11] | Conservative | 1999 | 10 May 2005 | |
| Peter Fleming[12][13] | Conservative | 10 May 2005 | May 2023 | |
| Julia Thornton[14][15] | Conservative | 23 May 2023 | May 2024 | |
| Roddy Hogarth[16] | Conservative | 14 May 2024 | 18 Nov 2025 | |
| Kevin Maskell[17] | Conservative | 18 Nov 2025 | Current | |
Following the2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to January 2026, the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 21 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 | |
| Green | 4 | |
| Reform | 2 | |
| Independent | 11 | |
| Vacant | 2 | |
| Total | 54 | |
Nine of the independent councillors form the "West Kent Independents" group (all of whom were elected as Conservatives).[18] The next election is due in 2027.[19]
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2003 the council has comprised 54councillors, representing 26wards. Elections are held every four years.[20]
The council is based at the Council Offices on Argyle Road. The offices were built for the council on the site of a large house which had served as the offices of one of the council's predecessors, theSevenoaks Urban District Council. The new building was formally opened on 3 March 1986.[21]
The layout of the district isdual-centred:
In all areaslow-rise dominates: the incidence of flats exceeding two storeys is rare.
The number oflisted buildings in the district exceeds 150. This includes 16 churches listed in the highest grading in the national listing system (Grade I). Castles andEnglish country houses of the wealthiest in society from the 16th to 18th centuries form part of this district.
Examples at Grade I includeKnole House,Chartwell,Penshurst Place andChevening House, most of which have their own produce-selling farms. Older with original stone walls areHever Castle with its 16 acres (6.5 ha)-wooded island in a listed parkland. A folly exists atLullingstone Castle which is a reconstruction of its gatehouse and separate modern house.[22]
The whole district is covered bycivil parishes. The parish councils for Sevenoaks and Swanley are styled as town councils.
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