Sevenoaks is a local government district

Non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

 covering the western most part of Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...

. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District

Sevenoaks Rural District

Sevenoaks Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England, from 1894 to 1974. It did not include Sevenoaks Urban District, which covered the town of Sevenoaks.It included the following civil parishes:*Brasted*Chevening*Chiddingstone...

 and part of Dartford Rural District

Dartford Rural District

Dartford Rural District was a rural district with an area of in the county of Kent, England. In 1971 it had a population of 64,561 and an electorate of 43,911...

.

The council

The council consists of 54 elected councillors, representing wards in the district.

In 2009 the Audit Commission

Audit Commission

The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...

 named Sevenoaks District Council one of the four best run and most efficient councils in the country.

Town and parish councils

The third tier of government within the District consists of the following town and parish councils:

• Ash-cum-Ridley
  Ash-cum-Ridley
  Ash-cum-Ridley is a civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 7,070. The parish includes:*Ash,*New Ash Green,*Hodsoll Street and*Ridley.-External links:***...
  
  
• Brasted
  Brasted
  Brasted is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the west of Sevenoaks town. The parish includes the settlements of Brasted Chart and Toys Hill, and had a population of 1321 persons . The single slightly winding street of the village has a...
  
  
• Chevening
  Chevening, Kent
  Chevening is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north west of Sevenoaks on the southern slopes of the North Downs. The parish is a small one, being in length and wide. It has a population of 2,762. Apart from the village the...
  
  
• Chiddingstone
  Chiddingstone
  Chiddingstone is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden between Tonbridge and Edenbridge...
  
  
• Cowden
  Cowden
  Cowden is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, south-west of Tonbridge. The old High Street has Grade II listed cottages and village houses, and there is an inn called The Fountain.-History:The...
  
  
• Crockenhill
  Crockenhill
  Crockenhill is a small village in Kent. In the first half of the twentieth century, it was an important area for growing peppermint. In the 1930s there were 420 acres under cultivation; the last crop was harvested in 1958....
  
  
• Dunton Green
  Dunton Green
  Dunton Green is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, lying in the valley of the River Darent, three miles north of Sevenoaks. The original ecclesiastical parish of Dunton Green was part of Otford parish...
  
  
• Edenbridge
  Edenbridge, Kent
  Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The town's name derives from Old English language "Eadhelmsbrigge" . It is located on the Kent/Surrey border on the upper floodplain of the River Medway and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden...
  
  
• Eynsford
  Eynsford
  Eynsford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford in Kent.-The village:...
  
  
• Farningham
  Farningham
  Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent in England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford, and has a population of 1,289...
  
  
• Fawkham
  Fawkham
  Fawkham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the north-east of Sevenoaks town. The main village in the parish is Fawkham Green. The railway station now called Longfield was originally called Fawkham.The 12th century parish church is...
  
  
• Halstead
  Halstead, Kent
  Halstead is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the North Downs, 3 miles south of Orpington and 5 miles north of Sevenoaks....
  
  
• Hartley
  Hartley, Kent
  This article is about the village in North Kent, England. For the South Kent village of the same name see Hartley, Cranbrook. For other uses, see Hartley ....
  
  
• Hextable
  Hextable
  Hextable is a leafy village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies to the north of the villages of Farningham, Otford and Eynsford, west of the villages of South Darenth and Horton Kirby and south of the village of Wilmington....
  
  
• Hever
  Hever, Kent
  Hever is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden, a tributary of the River Medway, east of Edenbridge. It is by in extent, and in area...
  
  
• Horton Kirby and South Darenth
  Horton Kirby and South Darenth
  Horton Kirby and South Darenth is a civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located in the River Darenth valley between Sevenoaks town and Dartford: it consists of the two villages of Horton Kirby and South Darenth...
  
  
• Kemsing
• Knockholt
  Knockholt
  Knockholt is a village and civil parish in Kent, England, lying approximately 5 miles south of Orpington and 3 miles northwest of Sevenoaks. It is part of the Sevenoaks district and according to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,166...
  
  
• Leigh
  Leigh, Kent
  Leigh , historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles south of Sevenoaks town and three miles west of Tonbridge....
  
  
• Otford
  Otford
  Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent known for its classically British countryside. The village is located on the River Darent, flowing north down its valley from its source on the North Downs...
  
  
• Penshurst
  Penshurst
  Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The...
  
  
• Riverhead
  Riverhead, Kent
  Riverhead, a one-time small village and now a village part of the built-up area to the north of the town Sevenoaks, is also a civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish has a population of around 2500...
  
  
• Seal
  Seal, Kent
  Seal is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located in the valley between the North Downs and the Greensand ridge to the north east of Sevenoaks town....
  
  
• Sevenoaks (Town)
  Sevenoaks
  Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
  
  
• Sevenoaks Weald
  Sevenoaks Weald
  Sevenoaks Weald is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, immediately south of Sevenoaks town, with the village of Sevenoaks Weald at its centre. It was formed in 1894 from part of the ancient parish of Sevenoaks.The village was...
  
  
• Shoreham
  Shoreham, Kent
  Shoreham is a village and civil parish in the valley of the River Darent six miles north of Sevenoaks in Kent: it is in the District of Sevenoaks. The parish includes the settlements of Badgers Mount and Well Hill....
  
  
• Sundridge with Ide Hill
  Sundridge with Ide Hill
  Sundridge and Ide Hill is a civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located in the Darenth valley and lies between Sevenoaks and Westerham. The parish contains the two villages, Sundridge and Ide Hill, and is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, within London’s...
  
  
• Swanley (Town)
  Swanley
  Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of London, north of Sevenoaks town. The town boundaries encompass the settlements of Swanley itself, Hextable and Swanley Village...
  
  
• Westerham
  Westerham
  Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
  
  
• West Kingsdown
  West Kingsdown
  West Kingsdown is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the North Downs, north of Sevenoaks town, within the London Commuter Belt...