Folkestone and Hythe District
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England, in the south-east of the county. Its council is based in the town of Folkestone. The authority was renamed from Shepway in April 2018, and therefore has the same name as the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency, although a somewhat narrower area is covered by the district.
Folkestone and Hythe District | |
|---|---|
Non-metropolitan district | |
Folkstone skyline and surrounding coastline | |
Folkestone and Hythe shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Folkestone |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Folkestone & Hythe District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
| • MPs | Damian Collins |
| Area | |
| • Total | 137.7 sq mi (356.7 km2) |
| • Rank | 100th (of 296) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 110,056 |
| • Rank | 219th (of 296) |
| • Density | 800/sq mi (310/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UL (ONS) E07000112 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TR2233835912 |
Most of the population live in the coastal towns of Folkestone and Hythe. The north of the district mainly consists of landscape villages interspersed with woods along parts of the North Downs, while the south features a coastal expanse of lower lying, periodically reclaimed villages in less forested Romney Marsh, which has a number of communities extensively built in the medieval period and 17th century as centres of the Romney Marsh wool trade. The district's economy is influenced by the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the M20 motorway, while the tourism and allied retail sectors provide key sources of employment.