Borough of Ashford
The Borough of Ashford is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. It borders five other Kent districts, as well as East Sussex to the south-west. Ashford Borough Council's main offices are in the town of Ashford. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the then Borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district as well as the Rural Districts of East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden. Covering 58,000 hectares, it is the largest district by area in Kent.
Borough of Ashford | |
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Non-metropolitan district and borough | |
Aerial of Ashford Designer Outlet and borough | |
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Coat of arms | |
Ashford shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district, Borough |
| Admin HQ | Ashford |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Ashford Borough Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
| • MPs | Damian Green |
| Area | |
| • Total | 224.18 sq mi (580.62 km2) |
| • Rank | 64th (of 296) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 133,178 |
| • Rank | 175th (of 296) |
| • Density | 590/sq mi (230/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
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| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UB (ONS) E07000105 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TR005425 |
The Borough is divided into 39 civil parishes, centred on the villages as well as the town of Tenterden.
From the 1960s onwards Ashford has experienced phases of rapid urban growth, creating new suburbs such as Stanhope and, more recently, Singleton. Today's urban growth is partially shaped by the de facto corridors created by the M20 motorway, the High Speed 1 line and several other rail lines which converge on the town's railway station.