welcome to the TENTERDEN TOWN COUNCIL website
Tenterden Town Council is the parish council responsible for the town of Tenterden. Council members are elected every four years and the chairman of the town council is the Mayor of Tenterden.
Introduction
Tenterden Town Council has existed in its present form since local government reorganisation in 1974, and is the successor to the previous Tenterden Borough Council.
The town council serves as the main link between the people of Tenterden and the district authority, Ashford Borough Council.
Town and parish councils form the lowest tier of local government and Tenterden comes under Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council.
The town council’s main source of income is from the annual precept, a small part of the Council Tax collected by Ashford Borough Council.
It also derives some income from its historic Town Hall, which may be hired for meetings and functions.
Tenterden is a member of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports, being a limb of Rye, which is a head port. The Mayor of Tenterden and the Town Clerk attend confederation meetings on behalf of the town council.
Council Members
Tenterden Town Council consists of 16 members. The whole of Tenterden Town Council stands for election on a four-yearly basis. The last election was on 1 May, 2007 and the next town council elections should be in May, 2011.
To see the list of Councillors, please go to our Town Councillors page.
Tenterden is divided into four wards. North, South, West and St. Michaels.
Mayor of Tenterden
The Mayor of Tenterden is chairman of the town council and successor in a line of civic heads going back to Thomas Petlesden, who, in 1449, became the first person to bear the title of Mayor of Tenterden.
The mayor is elected at the town council’s mayor making meeting in May each year. The present mayor is Cllr Alan Sugden and his wife, Mrs. Jean Sugden is the Mayoress.
Council Employees
The town council has 6 part-time employees and one full time employee, these being the Town Clerk (Mrs. Hester Deackes), the Deputy Town Clerk (Mrs. Angela Patrick), Two Town Hall Keepers, a Groundsman, an Amenities Maintenance Worker and a town Sergeant. A gardener is employed on a contractual basis for 6 months of the year.