Sevenoaks District

Sevenoaks District Council
Sevenoaks District Council
	<img alt="Logo" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7d/Sevenoaks_District_Council.svg/250px-Sevenoaks_District_Council.svg.png" decoding="async" width="250" height="103" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="493" data-file-height="203">
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Chair	Laurence Ball, ; Conservative ; since 14 May 2024
Leader	Roddy Hogarth, ; Conservative ; since 14 May 2024
Chief Executive	Pav Ramewal ; since 2013
Structure
Seats	54 councillors
	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/UK_Sevenoaks_District_Council_2023.svg/250px-UK_Sevenoaks_District_Council_2023.svg.png" decoding="async" width="250" height="128" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="360" data-file-height="185">
Political groups	Administration (33) Conservatives (33) Other parties (21) Liberal Democrats (14) Green (4) Independent (3)
Elections
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Sevenoaks_District_Council_Offices.jpg/220px-Sevenoaks_District_Council_Offices.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="124" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="4080" data-file-height="2295">
	Council Offices, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HG
Website
	www.sevenoaks.gov.uk

Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Non-metropolitan district
	St Nicholas Church in Sevenoaks
	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 (Labour)
• MPs	Laura Trott; Jim Dickson; Tom Tugendhat
Area
• Total	142.99 sq mi (370.34 km2)
• Rank	94th (of 296)
Population (2022)
• Total	121,106
• Rank	196th (of 296)
• Density	850/sq mi (330/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
• Ethnic groups	List 92.1% White ; 2.9% Asian ; 2.6% Mixed ; 1.6% Black ; 0.8% other ;
Religion (2021)
• Religion	List 51.8% Christianity ; 39.5% no religion ; 5.9% not stated ; 0.9% Islam ; 0.7% Hinduism ; 0.4% Buddhism ; 0.3% other ; 0.2% Sikhism ; 0.2% Judaism ;
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code	29UK (ONS); E07000111 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TQ525555

Sevenoaks is a local government district^[2] in west Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford Rural District.

Geography

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 the River Darenth and some headwaters of the River Eden.

The vast majority of the district is covered by the Metropolitan Green Belt.

In terms of districts, it borders Dartford to the north, Gravesham to the northeast, Tonbridge and Malling to the east, briefly Tunbridge Wells to the southeast. It also borders two which, equal to it, do not have borough status, the Wealden district of East Sussex to the south and the Tandridge district of Surrey to the southwest. It borders the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley to the northwest.

In the 2011 Census, the district had a population of 114,893.^[3]

Governance

Sevenoaks District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.^[7]

In 2009 the Audit Commission named Sevenoaks District Council as one of the four best-run and most efficient councils in the country.^[8]

Political control

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:

Party in control		Years
	Conservative	1974–1995
	No overall control	1995–1999
	Conservative	1999–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1999 have been:^[9]

Councillor		From	To
Alison Cook	Conservative	1999	10 May 2005
Peter Fleming	Conservative	10 May 2005	7 May 2023
Julia Thornton	Conservative	23 May 2023	14 May 2024
Roddy Hogarth	Conservative	14 May 2024

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	33
	Liberal Democrats	14
	Green	4
	Independent	3
Total		54

Two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Sevenoaks Independents".^[10] The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2003 the council has comprised 54 councillors, representing 26 wards. Elections are held every four years.^[11]

Premises

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, the Sevenoaks Urban District Council. The new building was formally opened on 3 March 1986.^[12]

Housing and architecture

Hever Castle is in Sevenoaks district

The layout of the district is dual-centred:

A well-buffered suburban town itself, which spreads into suburban villages (St Johns, Riverhead, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks Weald).
Swanley and smaller, equally buffered Hextable and Crockenhill within the M25 motorway.

In all areas low-rise dominates: the incidence of flats exceeding two storeys is rare.

The number of listed buildings in the district exceeds 150. This includes 16 churches listed in the highest grading in the national listing system (Grade I). Castles and English country houses of the wealthiest in society from the 16th to 18th centuries form part of this district.

Examples at Grade I include Knole House, Chartwell, Penshurst Place and Chevening House, most of which have their own produce-selling farms. Older with original stone walls are Hever Castle with its 16 acres (6.5 ha)-wooded island in a listed parkland. A folly exists at Lullingstone Castle which is a reconstruction of its gatehouse and separate modern house.^[13]

Towns and parishes

The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Sevenoaks and Swanley are styled as town councils.

References

^ ^a ^b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Sevenoaks Local Authority (E07000111)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
^ District Council website
^ "2011 Census profile: Age and gender profile (unrounded)" (PDF). Kent County Council. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
^ "Council Chairman". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
^ "The Council's new Leader and Cabinet". Sevenoaks District Council. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
^ "Council structure". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
^ Sevenoaks District Council : 9 December 2009 : Sevenoaks Tops National Performance League Table Retrieved 22 August 2010
^ "Council minutes". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
^ "Your Councillors". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ "The District of Sevenoaks (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/3557, retrieved 27 September 2023
^ "New offices... Plenty of room in council's new home". Sevenoaks Chronicle. 7 March 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
^ Hever CastleHistoric England. "Details from listed building database (1273465)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 May 2014.

51°16′12″N 0°11′35″E / 51.270°N 0.193°E / 51.270; 0.193

[2021_Nomis-1] UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Sevenoaks Local Authority (E07000111)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.

[2] District Council website

[3] "2011 Census profile: Age and gender profile (unrounded)" (PDF). Kent County Council. Retrieved 28 March 2014.

[4] "Council Chairman". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 7 July 2024.

[5] "The Council's new Leader and Cabinet". Sevenoaks District Council. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.

[6] "Council structure". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

[7] "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023

[8] Sevenoaks District Council : 9 December 2009 : Sevenoaks Tops National Performance League Table Retrieved 22 August 2010

[9] "Council minutes". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022.

[10] "Your Councillors". Sevenoaks District Council. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

[11] "The District of Sevenoaks (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/3557, retrieved 27 September 2023

[12] "New offices... Plenty of room in council's new home". Sevenoaks Chronicle. 7 March 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2022.

[13] Hever CastleHistoric England. "Details from listed building database (1273465)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 May 2014.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]