Adur (/eɪˈdʊər/) is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the River Adur which flows through the area. The council is based in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea, and the district also contains the town of Southwick, the large village of Lancing and a modest rural hinterland inland. The district had a population of 64,626 at the 2021 census.
Adur District | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Adur shown within West Sussex | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | West Sussex |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Shoreham-by-Sea |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Adur District Council |
| • MPs | Tom Rutland |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.14 sq mi (41.80 km2) |
| • Rank | 256th (of 296) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 64,688 |
| • Rank | 289th (of 296) |
| • Density | 4,000/sq mi (1,500/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 45UB |
| GSS code | E07000223 |
| OS grid reference | TQ220051 |
Sompting, Lancing, Shoreham and Southwick form a strip of settlements on the south coast, between Worthing and Brighton collectively known as the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. Shoreham Airport is located in the Adur district, west of Shoreham-by-Sea and just east of Lancing.
The Adur Festival is held in the first two weeks of June every year.
The district lies on the south coast, and parts of its area lie within the South Downs National Park. The neighbouring districts are Worthing, Arun, Horsham and Brighton and Hove.
History
editThe district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the whole area of two former districts and parts of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
- Shoreham-by-Sea Urban District
- Southwick Urban District
- Worthing Rural District (parishes of Coombes, Lancing and Sompting only, rest went to Arun)
The new district was named Adur after the River Adur which flows through the area and reaches the sea at Shoreham.[3]
Since 2008 Adur District Council has worked in partnership with neighbouring Worthing Borough Council, as Adur and Worthing Councils, sharing a joint management structure, with a single chief executive.[4]
Governance
editAdur District Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Catherine Howe since 2021[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 29 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
| The Shoreham Centre, Pond Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 5WU | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Adur District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by West Sussex County Council. Parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[7][8]
Political control
editThe council has been under Labour majority control since the 2024 election.[9]
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[10][11]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1979 | |
| Conservative | 1979–1980 | |
| Liberal | 1980–1983 | |
| No overall control | 1983–1986 | |
| Alliance | 1986–1988 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1988–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2002 | |
| Conservative | 2002–2024 | |
| Labour | 2024-current | |
Leadership
editThe leaders of the council since 2000 have been:[12]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Parkin[13] | Conservative | 2000 | 23 May 2024 | |
| Jeremy Gardner | Labour | 23 May 2024 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the 2024 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in July 2024, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 17 | |
| Conservative | 7 | |
| Independent | 3 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Total | 29 | |
Two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Shoreham Beach Residents' Association" group. The next election is due in 2026.[14]
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2004 the council has comprised 29 councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing two councillors except Widewater, which elects three. Elections are held in alternate years for roughly half the council each time to serve a four year term of office.[15]
Premises
editThe council is based at the Shoreham Centre on Pond Road, which was built in the 1970s as a community centre but was substantially extended in 2015 to also serve as the council's meeting place and offices.[16] Prior to 2015 the council was based at the Civic Centre on Ham Road, Shoreham, which was subsequently demolished.[17]
Towns and parishes
editThere are three civil parishes in the district, being Coombes, Lancing, and Sompting. Coombes has a parish meeting rather than a parish council due to its low population.[18] The rest of the district, corresponding to the area of the pre-1974 urban districts of Shoreham-by-Sea and Southwick, is an unparished area.[8]
Sports clubs
editMedia
editIn terms of television, Adur is served by BBC South East and ITV Meridian broadcasting from the Whitehawk Hill transmitter. [19]
Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Sussex, Heart South, Capital Brighton, More Radio Worthing and Seaside Hospital Radio that broadcast from the Southlands Hospital in Shoreham.
Local newspapers are the Shoreham Herald, West Sussex Gazette and The Argus. [20]
Twin towns
editAdur is twinned with
Climate
editClimate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[24]
| Climate data for Adur District, UK | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
15 (59) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
14 (57) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
6 (43) |
10 (50) |
12 (54) |
14 (57) |
14 (57) |
12 (54) |
9 (48) |
6 (43) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) |
30 (1.2) |
30 (1.2) |
28 (1.1) |
36 (1.4) |
18 (0.7) |
36 (1.4) |
36 (1.4) |
38 (1.5) |
51 (2) |
51 (2) |
48 (1.9) |
440 (17.4) |
| Average precipitation days | 14 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 135 |
| Source: Weatherbase [25] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Adur Local Authority (E07000223)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Senior Management structure". Adur & Worthing Councils. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ Hanway, Thomas (24 May 2024). "Adur council's new chairman and leader take up roles". Sussex World. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Ford, Martin (12 October 2021). "Adur and Worthing appoint permanent chief executive". The MJ. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Morton, Sam (3 May 2024). "Local elections 2024: Labour take control of Adur council for first time ever; Worthing retained". Sussex World. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Adur". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ "Council minutes". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ Dunn, Karen (27 January 2021). "Politician cleared over covid 'bat soup' remark - but now he has virus". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
Councillor Parkin, who became leader of the council in 2000...
- ^ "Adur". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "The District of Adur (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2002/2991, retrieved 25 January 2024
- ^ "Construction begins on Shoreham Centre extension". Sussex World. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Lindsey, Peter (4 April 2017). "Demolition teams move into former council offices". The Argus. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Parish councils contact information". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Whitehawk Hill (Brighton and Hove, England) Full Freeview transmitter". May 2004.
- ^ "Local news media links". West Sussex County Council. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Internetowy Serwis Miejski". zywiec.pl. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ Climate Summary for Adur, UK
- ^ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved on July 9, 2013.