Your Council
Ashford Borough Council is a local authority which provides services to residents in Ashford, Tenterden and a large network of surrounding villages.
Our services include keeping the streets clean and collecting rubbish, renting out social housing (council houses and flats), providing leisure facilities and play areas and processing council tax and housing benefits.
We deal with local planning applications for everything from a conservatory to major developments, and if you are buying a home in the borough we can provide you with a comprehensive land search service.
We issue licenses for taxis and licensed premises, look after parks and open spaces, and parking around the borough.
We are based in offices at International House, opposite Ashford International Station. Our customer services team have now moved from the Civic Centre to our new base at International House, and we currently have a temporary pop-up location at Highbury Hall in Tenterden twice a month. In all we employ over 500 people.
To look at our structure and for more details on our senior management, please view the Our People section of our website.
Who does what?
The table below explains the differing responsibilities between Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council. Find out more information about what councils are responsible for.
| Service Area | Ashford Borough Council | Kent County Council |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ✓ | |
| Highways and Transport Planning | ✓ | |
| Passenger Transport | ✓ | |
| Social Care | ✓ | |
| Housing | ✓ | |
| Libraries | ✓ | |
| Leisure | ✓ | |
| Environmental Health | ✓ | |
| Trading Standards | ✓ | |
| Waste Collection | ✓ | |
| Waste Disposal | ✓ | |
| Planning Applications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local Strategic Planning | ✓ | |
| Local Tax Collection | ✓ |
Please note - services including primary and secondary education, roads, pavements, street lighting and social services are provided by Kent County Council.
About Your Council
This is the Your Council section of Ashford Borough Council’s website.
Here you can find out everything you need to know about council proceedings, council projects and our policies and strategies.
You can also download digital editions of our quarterly residents’ magazine, Ashford For You.
Council Meetings
Our moderngov website has everything you need to know about council meetings. This includes minutes from meetings, meeting agendas, finding your local councillor and viewing the council’s constitution.
Elections
This is where you can find out about upcoming elections. You can also register to vote and view ward and parish maps.
The Mayor
Find out about the current Mayor, previous Mayors, the Honorary Alderman scheme and our flag flying days.
Policies and Strategies
Here you can find out about Ashford Borough Council’s policies and strategies. This includes our annual reports, our corporate plan, and our recovery plan following the Covid-19 pandemic.
