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Thanet District

Coordinates: 51°22′N 1°23′E / 51.367°N 1.383°E / 51.367; 1.383
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Thanet District
Non-metropolitan district
Thanet aerial showing the towns of Broadstairs. Margate, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea
Thanet aerial showing the towns of Broadstairs. Margate, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea
Thanet shown within Kent
Thanet shown within Kent
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyKent
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQMargate
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyThanet District Council
 • MPs
Area
 • Total
39.88 sq mi (103.30 km2)
 • Rank194th (of 296)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
142,691
 • Rank164th (of 296)
 • Density3,577.6/sq mi (1,381.3/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code29UN (ONS)
E07000114 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTR355705 +

Thanet /ˈθænɪt/ is a local government district in Kent, England. The council is based in Margate and the district also contains the towns of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Westgate-on-Sea, along with several villages. It takes its name from the Isle of Thanet, a former island which gradually became connected to the mainland between the 12th and 16th centuries.

The district lies on the north-eastern tip of Kent, bordering the City of Canterbury to the west and Dover District to the south. It is predominantly coastal, with north, east and southeast-facing coastlines.

History

[edit]
Main article: Isle of Thanet

The Isle of Thanet is the major part of the district. This was formerly an island separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel. The channel gradually closed between the 12th and 16th centuries through a combination of natural silting and artificial land reclamation. An Isle of Thanet Rural District covering the rural parts of the isle had existed from 1894 until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District.[2]

The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 covering the whole area of three former districts and part of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time:[3]

The new district was named Thanet, after the isle which covered approximately the same area.[4]

Governance

[edit]
Thanet District Council
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Debra Owen-Hughes,
Labour
since 9 May 2024[5]
Rick Everitt,
Labour
since 18 May 2023
Colin Carmichael
since 20 July 2022[6]
Structure
Seats56 councillors
Political groups
Administration (29)
  Labour (29)
Other parties (27)
  Conservative (14)
  Green (7)
  Reform UK (2)
  Thanet Independents (2)
  Independent (2)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Council Offices, Cecil Street, Margate, CT9 1XZ
Website
www.thanet.gov.uk

Thanet District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7][8]

Political control

[edit]

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 Thanet District Council election.[9][10]

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:[11][12]

Party in control Years
Conservative 1974–1987
No overall control 1987–1991
Conservative 1991–1995
Labour 1995–2003
Conservative 2003–2011
No overall control 2011–2015
UK Independence Party 2015–2015
No overall control 2015–2016
UK Independence Party 2016–2017
No overall control 2017–2023
Labour 2023–present

Leadership

[edit]

The leaders of the council since 1999 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Richard Nicholson[13][14] Labour pre-1999 22 May 2003
Sandy Ezekiel[14][15] Conservative 22 May 2003 13 May 2010
Bob Bayford[16][17] Conservative 13 May 2010 8 Dec 2011
Clive Hart[17][18] Labour 8 Dec 2011 12 May 2014
Iris Johnston[19][20] Labour 15 May 2014 May 2015
Chris Wells[21][22] UKIP 21 May 2015 28 Feb 2018
Bob Bayford[23][24] Conservative 1 Mar 2018 10 Oct 2019
Rick Everitt[25][26] Labour 10 Oct 2019 22 Apr 2021
Ash Ashbee[27][28] Conservative 3 Jun 2021 May 2023
Rick Everitt[29] Labour 18 May 2023

Composition

[edit]

Following the 2023 election,[30] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to October 2025,[31] the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Labour 29
Conservative 14
Green 7
Reform 2
Thanet Independents 2
Independent 2
Total 56

One of the independent councillors and the Greens sit together as the "Green and Independent Group".[32] The next elections are due in 2027.[33]

Elections

[edit]
See also: Thanet District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 56 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[34]

See also: List of parliamentary constituencies in Kent

The district straddles two constituencies, one of which extends beyond the district boundary to include parts of neighbouring districts:

Premises

[edit]

The council is based at the Council Offices on Cecil Street in the centre of Margate. The building was originally designed in the early 1970s to be a new headquarters for Margate Borough Council, but by the time the building was finished in 1974 that council had been abolished and absorbed into the larger Thanet District Council. The building was formally opened on 9 April 1975.[35][36]

Towns and parishes

[edit]

The district contains 11 civil parishes, covering most of the area. The parish councils for Broadstairs and St Peter's, Ramsgate, and Westgate-on-Sea have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the title "town council". The two parishes of Sarre and St Nicholas-at-Wade share a grouped parish council.[37]

The town of Margate comprises an unparished area. The Thanet councillors representing the wards covering Margate act as charter trustees, choosing one of their number to be the mayor of Margate each year.[38]

Demography

[edit]
See also: List of people from Thanet

According to the 2011 census, the population of Thanet was 134,186, an increase of about 6000 in the ten years since the previous census.[39]

Economy

[edit]

The whole district suffers from seasonal unemployment, in spite of its proximity to London, because of various factors, among them being inward migration, high numbers of old people, and low numbers of affluent people. It is not helped by poor overall indicators for health.[40] In a study of resilience to economic downturns, Thanet was poorly rated at 295th out of 324 districts.[41] Unemployment levels are nearly twice the South East of England as a whole, and as a result a great deal of planning is being done to encourage more businesses to relocate to the District.[42] The Thanet & East Kent Chamber produces a weekly business digest, the Thanet & East Kent Insider, which reports on economic activity in the private and public sectors.

Redevelopment projects had included in Margate from 2003 onwards amusement park development at Dreamland and the Turner Contemporary which was opened by Tracey Emin in April 2011.[43][44] These projects created 300 new jobs, 19% tourism grown between 2013-15 and in case of the Turner Contemporary gallery one million new visitors to Margate.[43] However the designation in 2011 of Margate as a Mary Portas retail town has by 2017 been described as a failure.[45] After a saga with initial ground work starting in 2004 the seafront Ramsgate Royal Sands development resumed in June 2020 and by 2023 its luxury apartments were being sold, even if beyond the means of most locals.[46] In 2026 plans exist to restore the Margate Winter Gardens theatre which had been built in 1910, rebuilt after damage in World War II and closed in 2022.[47] A project has long existed to reopen Manston Airport near Ramsgate which closed in 2014 but the earliest this would happen would be 2029.[48]

In addition, the District Council has introduced an empty property initiative and has compulsory purchased empty and derelict buildings with the objective of bringing them back into use.

The Thanet Offshore Wind Project, near North Foreland, began operating in September 2010. The project is expected to have a total capacity of up to 300 MW which, on average, is sufficient to supply approximately 240,000 homes with green energy. The project will thus make a significant contribution to the government's national and regional renewable energy targets. Thanet Earth is the largest greenhouse development in the UK, covering an area of 91 hectares with 7 greenhouses each the size of 10 football pitches producing cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers all year.[49]

Westwood at the centre of Thanet has seen the building of Westwood Cross shopping centre. Associated development has taken place around the shopping centre spawning other retail parks. Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs each have traditional town centre shopping centres. Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Westgate and Birchington-on-Sea have smaller shopping areas.[50]

Transport

[edit]
Thanet is now linked to London by high-speed "Javelin" trains.

The rail connections are via the Chatham Main Line through Margate to Ramsgate, and the Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line. New high-speed rail links from London to Thanet began in December 2009, and it is now possible to travel from Margate to St Pancras railway station at up to 140 mph (230 km/h).[51] Main road links are the A28 which brings traffic from Canterbury and Ashford; and the A299, north coast route. The Saxon Shore Way Long distance footpath skirts the coast.

There is an airport, now closed, at Manston,[52] formerly RAF Manston, but later renamed by its commercial operators as Kent International Airport. The airport closed permanently on 15 May, 2014. Because it was used as a U.S. airbase during the Second World War it has one of the longest runways in the UK, and while open it was designated by the United Nations as an emergency landing site for aircraft.[citation needed]

Ferry services are no longer running from the Port of Ramsgate, and the council was in dispute with the former operators over the payment of £3.3 million[53]

Health

[edit]

Thanet's major hospital is the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, known as the QEQM.[54]

A new community hub was opened near Westwood Cross in 2025.[55]

As of February 2026, overall indicators of health were poor for Thanet:[56]

Significantly better than national average

[edit]
  • Sickness absence from work
  • Households owed a duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act
  • Emergency Hospital Admissions for Intentional Self-Harm
  • Admission episodes for alcohol-related conditions
  • Cervical cancer screening coverage (aged 25 to 49 years old)
  • People with a high anxiety score
  • Emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people aged 65 and over
  • Emergency readmissions within 30 days of discharge from hospital
  • New STI diagnoses (excluding chlamydia aged 24 years and under) per 100,000
  • Tuberculosis incidence (three year average)
  • Adjusted antibiotic prescribing in primary care by the NHS

Significantly worse than national average

[edit]
  • Life expectancy at birth
  • Life expectancy at age 65
  • Children in low income families
  • Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in children (aged 0 to 4 years)
  • Age 10–11 prevalence of overweight
  • Under 18s conception rate
  • Hospital admissions for violence (including sexual violence)
  • Percentage of physically active adults
  • Percentage reporting a long-term musculoskeletal problem
  • Breast cancer screening coverage
  • Cervical cancer screening coverage (aged 50 to 64 years old)
  • Chlamydia detection rate per 100,000 aged 15 to 24 years
  • HIV late diagnosis
  • Under 75 mortality rate from causes considered preventable
  • Under 75 mortality rate from cardiovascular disease
  • Under 75 mortality rate from cancer
  • Under 75 mortality rate from cancer considered preventable
  • Under 75 mortality rate from preventable liver disease
  • Under 75 mortality rate from respiratory disease considered preventable
  • Dementia diagnosis rate (aged 65 and older)

Media

[edit]

Local newspapers are the Thanet Extra, part of the KM Group; Isle of Thanet Gazette owned by Northcliffe Media; and the midweek Your Thanet published online by KOS Media.

Local radio stations are;

National TV stations carry regional news: The ITV1 service is provided currently by Meridian Broadcasting; and the BBC South East Today.

Education

[edit]
Margate Adult Education Centre, built in 1928 as Thanet School of Art.

Thanet has a wide variety of local schools. The community learning within the district is varied and wide, including charitable training organisations such as East Kent ITeC Ltd, and organisations such as Margate Adult Education Centre, Thanet Skills Studio and Thanet Stage School. East Kent College is a provider of further education in Thanet and a Training Provider that works with local businesses to raise the level of education across the region. In 2023, Nelson College London took over the former Canterbury Christ Church University campus in Broadstairs, offering HND courses in Business and Hospitality Management.

Climate

[edit]

Thanet enjoys a maritime climate, being surrounded on three sides by the sea. This generally results in mild winters and warm, dry summers.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Thanet Local Authority (E07000114)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Isle of Thanet Rural District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 27 September 2023
  4. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  5. ^ "New Chair and Vice Chair elected at Thanet District Council". Thanet District Council. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  6. ^ Harper, Brad (15 July 2022). "Former Canterbury City Council chief executive appointed as new interim boss of Thanet District Council". Kent Online. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  9. ^ Bailes, Kathy (4 May 2023). "Labour Takes Overall Control of Thanet Council Following Election Success". isleofthanetnews.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Thanet result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News.
  11. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Thanet" in search box to see specific results.)
  12. ^ "Thanet". BBC News Online. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Council minutes, 20 May 1999". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Council minutes, 22 May 2003". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Sandy Ezekiel guilty of four charges of misconduct". BBC News. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  16. ^ "Council minutes, 13 May 2010". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Council minutes, 8 December 2011". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Thanet District Council leader Clive Hart quits over 'toxic behaviour'". BBC News. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Council minutes, 15 May 2014". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  20. ^ Youde, Kate (12 May 2015). "UKIP pledges to make Thanet the "most boring district council"". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2015". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Thanet council's UKIP leader Chris Wells to step down". BBC News. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Council minutes, 1 March 2018". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Thanet council leader ousted after no-confidence vote". BBC News. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  25. ^ "Council minutes, 10 October 2019". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  26. ^ Bailes, Kathy (22 April 2021). "Thanet council leader quits post amid Tory bid to oust him". The Isle of Thanet News. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Council minutes, 3 June 2021". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  28. ^ Pallant, James (5 May 2023). "Labour take control of Thanet District Council". Kent Online. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Council minutes, 18 May 2023". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  31. ^ "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections emails". opencouncildata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  32. ^ "Your Councillors by Political Grouping". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Thanet". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  34. ^ "The Statutory Instruments Regulations 1947", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/3556, retrieved 1 October 2023
  35. ^ "New council offices will be tight squeeze". Thanet Times. Margate. 14 August 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  36. ^ "Library and offices opened". Thanet Times. Margate. 15 April 1975. p. 4. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  37. ^ "Parish Council contact details". Thanet District Council. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  38. ^ "Mayor and Charter Trustees of Margate". Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  39. ^ "Table 2 2011 Census: Usual resident population and population density, local authorities in the United Kingdom (Excel sheet 212Kb)". Office for National Statistics.
  40. ^ Association of Public Health Observatories - Health Profiles APHO Health Profiles Archived 9 June 2008 at the UK Government Web Archive
  41. ^ "Thanet least resilient to economic woe, research finds". BBC News. 9 September 2010.
  42. ^ "Thanet District Corporate Plan 2007". Archived from the original on 24 September 2008.
  43. ^ a b Case Studies:Dreamland and Turner Contemporary, Margate. Local Government Association (Report). 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  44. ^ Smith, Neil (15 April 2011). "Tracey Emin welcomes new art gallery to Margate". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  45. ^ Harrison, Will (8 November 2017). "Retail guru Mary Portas has 'failed' to revive ailing high streets in Margate and Dartford". London: Reach plc. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  46. ^ Bowles, Millie (23 January 2023). "Ramsgate Royal Sands seafront development apartment on market for £735,000, as residents say: 'This isn't Miami'". KM Media Group. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  47. ^ Dale, Bob (10 February 2026). "Masterplan for Winter Gardens restoration revealed". Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  48. ^ Bailes, Kathy (20 January 2026). "Manston airport owners confirm timeline setback, rising costs and final stage discussions with 'European-based funding partner'". Ramsgate: Isle of Thanet News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  49. ^ "Thanet Earth". www.thanetearth.com.
  50. ^ "Thanet Local Plan, Adopted 2020 and other policy documents". Margate: Thanet District Council. 10 July 1920. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  51. ^ "First year of high speed rail services in Kent". BBC. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  52. ^ "Kent's Manston Airport to close on 15 May". BBC. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  53. ^ "TransEuropa Ferries Thanet District Council". BBC News. 21 May 2013.
  54. ^ "Overview - Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital - NHS Choices".
  55. ^ Bailes, Kathy (29 September 2025). "St Peter's GPs and Kent Community Health services to move into £10m Broadstairs health hub this November". isleofthanetnews.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  56. ^ "Public Health Outcomes Framework - at a glance summary Thanet". Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. 3 February 2026.
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51°22′N 1°23′E / 51.367°N 1.383°E / 51.367; 1.383

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