The local authorityCouncil · district · England · 1 of 164 councils (district)

Thanet.

Labour Party-controlled district. £21m net revenue. 23 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

Typedistrict
Seats56 councillors · 23 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Net revenue · 2025-26
£21m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,391
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
30/56
Labour Party 54%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Labour Party chamber, 2-party MP geography.

Thanet is a district controlled by Labour Party (30 of 56 seats). Net revenue is £21m for 2025-26. It covers 23 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.56 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Lab 30Con 17Green 5Thanet Independents 3Independent Berwick Hills Resident 1

Labour Party 54% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Jenny MatterfaceLabBeacon Road2023
Joanne Janet BrightLabBeacon Road2023
George KupConBirchington North2023
Reece PughConBirchington North2023
Emma DawsonConBirchington South2023
Linda Ann WrightConBirchington South2023
Phil FellowsConBirchington South2023
George Henry RusieckiConBradstowe2023
Jill Louise BayfordConBradstowe2023
Becky WingGrnCentral Harbour2023
Raushan AraLabCentral Harbour2023
Tricia AustinGrnCentral Harbour2023
Showing 12 of 56·All 56 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

59%
Council tax
£12.7m · median 61%
27%
Central grants
£5.7m · median 26%
14%
Business rates
£3.0m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (district) median: 59% council tax, 27% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£271
County / upper-tier£1,691
Police£270
Fire & rescue£95
GLA precept£0
Parish average£64
Total Band-D£2,391

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.6 buckets · vs 163 other councils (district)

How does Thanet split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (district)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Waste & Recycling33.4% of net spend · cohort median 32%
68 of 158+4% vs median
Housing & Homelessness19.9% of net spend · cohort median 14%
30 of 158+42% vs median
Planning & Economic Development18.3% of net spend · cohort median 14%
46 of 158+27% vs median
Corporate & Central17.7% of net spend · cohort median 27%
130 of 158-34% vs median
Culture & Leisure14.7% of net spend · cohort median 13%
62 of 158+10% vs median
Highways & Transport-4.0% of net spend · cohort median -2%
94 of 158
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.23 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats

Thanet’s territory crosses 2 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
East Thanet1774% Polly BillingtonLab
Herne Bay and Sandwich626% Roger GaleCon
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Labour Party-controlled district — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 163 other councils (district)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Thanet
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level