Adur District

Adur District
River Adur at Shoreham-by-Sea
Adur shown within West Sussex
Adur shown within West Sussex
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyWest Sussex
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQShoreham-by-Sea
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyAdur District Council
 • MPsTim Loughton
Area
 • Total16.14 sq mi (41.80 km2)
 • Rank256th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total64,626
 • Rank289th (of 296)
 • Density4,000/sq mi (1,500/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code45UB
GSS codeE07000223
OS grid referenceTQ220051

Adur (/ˈdʊər/) 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.

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[edit]

The 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]

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[edit]

Adur District Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Joe Pannell,
Conservative
since 18 May 2023[5]
Neil Parkin,
Conservative
since 2000
Catherine Howe
since 2021[6]
Structure
Seats29 councillors
Political groups
Administration (16)
  Conservative (16)
Opposition (13)
  Labour (9)
  Green (2)
  Independent (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
2 May 2024
Meeting place
The Shoreham Centre, Pond Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 5WU
Website
www.adur-worthing.gov.uk

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[edit]

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2002.

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:[9][10]

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–present

Leadership[edit]

The leader of the council since 2000 has been:[11]

Councillor Party From To
Neil Parkin[12] Conservative 2000

Composition[edit]

Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Conservative 16
Labour 9
Green 2
Independent 2
Total 29

The next election is due in 2024.

Elections[edit]

Since 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.[13]

Premises[edit]

Council's former headquarters at Shoreham Civic Centre, closed 2015 and since demolished.

The 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.[14] Prior to 2015 the council was based at the Civic Centre on Ham Road, Shoreham, which was subsequently demolished.[15]

Adur population pyramid

Towns and parishes[edit]

Lancing College, a public school and a prominent landmark in the district.

There 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.[16] 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[edit]

Twin towns[edit]

Adur is twinned with

Climate[edit]

Climate 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).[20]

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 [21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Adur Local Authority (E07000223)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ^ "Senior Management structure". Adur & Worthing Councils. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Council minutes, 18 May 2023". Adur Council. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. ^ Ford, Martin (12 October 2021). "Adur and Worthing appoint permanent chief executive". The MJ. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Adur". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Council minutes". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  12. ^ 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...
  13. ^ "The District of Adur (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2002/2991, retrieved 25 January 2024
  14. ^ "Construction begins on Shoreham Centre extension". Sussex World. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  15. ^ Lindsey, Peter (4 April 2017). "Demolition teams move into former council offices". The Argus. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Parish councils contact information". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Internetowy Serwis Miejski". zywiec.pl. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  20. ^ Climate Summary for Adur, UK
  21. ^ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved on July 9, 2013.

External links[edit]

50°49′57″N 0°16′08″W / 50.8326°N 0.2689°W / 50.8326; -0.2689