Canterbury City Council is carrying out a review of how residents are represented across the area and we want to hear from you. The review is called a Community Governance Review or CGR and the process is governed by legislation.
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.
This CGR is asking two questions:
- 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.
CCC wants to hear from you. The responses to this consultation will be used to help shape draft recommendations for the area. CCC will then consult affected residents and other interested individuals and groups about the specific proposals.
At this stage, CCC would like to know your views about the existing parish arrangements and about the unparished areas. Please take a few minutes to complete the consultation form here:
Alternatively, you can provide your representations by emailing your comments to consultations@canterbury.gov.uk. This consultation closes on Sunday 5 July 2026.
Further information, including details of public engagement events taking place from 11 to 21 May, can be found here:
Any proposals for change must be submitted during this Stage 1 consultation. CCC will then develop specific recommendations. Those recommendations will then be subject to a second round of consultation before being finalised. It bears repeating: Stage two will focus on the specific recommendations and it will be too late to introduce completely new ideas at that point.
You can find more information and a large selection of frequently-asked questions here:
If you have any questions, email cgr@canterbury.gov.uk.