Community Governance Review: have your say on local representation

We are asking residents, organisations and partners for their views as part of a Community Governance Review (CGR), which looks at how communities across the district are represented and whether current arrangements remain appropriate.

Why this review is taking place

At the moment, residents are served by Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council.

Most parts of the area – other than the city of Canterbury and the coastal towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable – are also served by a parish council.

All three of these levels of local government can have a role in local democracy and each can provide specific services, paid for through your Council Tax bills, and represent the needs and views of their residents.

As you may have heard, Canterbury City Council and Kent County Council are expected to be abolished in the coming two years and be replaced by one council to represent residents in this area.

Existing parish councils will continue. If there are no changes residents in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable will continue not to have a parish council and would be served only by the new single council.

What the review is considering

As part of this review, we are seeking views on:

• does the city of Canterbury and the coastal towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable need any different arrangements such as a new town or parish council?
• are any changes needed to any of the existing parish councils such as boundaries or numbers of councillors? This could be because of developments or other changes near a boundary, or because the parish has too few or too many parish councillors

Maps and boundary information

To help you provide informed feedback, we have produced a set of reference maps, which are available to view as part of this consultation:

• Canterbury unparished area
• Coastal unparished area
• Maps of the parishes A-H
• Maps of the parishes I-W

You are welcome to use these maps when considering your response.

If you wish to suggest changes to boundaries, you may print the relevant map and draw your suggested changes.

A photograph or scanned copy of this can then be uploaded when responding to the consultation or submitted as part of a supporting document.

Alternatively, if you would like to explore the boundary maps online you can do so on our website.

With this interactive map, we’d suggest that you turn off the CCC ward boundaries and on the parish, boundaries using the layers list on the righthand side.

How the process works

The Community Governance Review will take place in stages:

• Stage one (current consultation): We are gathering views on existing parish arrangements and unparished areas and inviting ideas and proposals for change. The responses to this consultation will be used to help shape draft recommendations for the area
• Stage two: We will consult again on the specific draft recommendations before finalising any decisions

Have your say

Please give us your views by completing the consultation form.

Alternatively, you can:

• email your comments to consultations@canterbury.gov.uk
• write to Policy Team, Canterbury City Council, 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2UR

Paper copies of the survey questionnaire are available on request. If you would like a copy, please email consultations@canterbury.gov.uk.

This consultation closes on Sunday 5 July 2026.

Public engagement events

We have organised a series of public engagement events across the district to support this consultation. These are as follows:

• Canterbury – Monday 11 May, 6pm to 7.30pm, Guildhall, St Peter’s Place, Canterbury
• Whitstable – Tuesday 12 May, 6pm to 7.30pm, Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre, Horsebridge Road, Whitstable
• Herne Bay – Thursday 14 May, 6pm to 7.30pm, The Baptist Church, High Street, Herne Bay
• Online – Thursday 21 May, 6pm to 7.30pm, using this joining link

No booking is required.

More information

You can find more details about the Community Governance Review process and answers to frequently asked questions on our website.

If you have any questions, please email cgr@canterbury.gov.uk.

We look forward to hearing your views.

Published: 7 May 2026