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37-568: Swale is a local government district with borough status in Kent , England. The council is based in Sittingbourne , the borough's largest town. The borough also contains the towns of Faversham , Queenborough and Sheerness , along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. It includes the Isle of Sheppey and is named after The Swale , the narrow channel which separates Sheppey from

74-643: A bascule bridge , it opened to allow large vessels to navigate past and not obstruct maritime traffic on the Swale . On 17 December 1922, the Norwegian cargo ship Gyp collided with the bridge; it was repaired and returned to service after 10 months. The bascule bridge was closed in the 1950s and was replaced by the present Kingsferry Bridge. The new bridge was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson , and constructed by John Howard , in conjunction with Dorman Long and Sir William Arrol & Co. Swale railway station

111-578: A bid by Iwade Parish Council to have the bridge recognised as a listed structure was turned down by English Heritage as it did not fall into the categories used to determine those sites that are most in need of protection. During 2010, the Kent Police borrowed £73,000 from Swale Borough Council for an automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR). The system was installed on the Sheppey Crossing and Kingsferry Bridge that year in

148-402: A bid to track criminals' movements. The bridge is a combined road and railway vertical-lift bridge. It carries a 24-foot (7.3m) wide two-lane road, a 6-foot (1.8m) wide footpath and a single-track electrified railway line. Although the railway operates by electrified third rail , there is no electrification over the moving section of the bridge. To cross the bridge, electric trains coast across

185-432: A diameter of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) and are spaced at intervals of 18 feet (5.5 m) between centres. A reinforced concrete cap, which has a height of 15 feet (4.6 m) and a depth of 6 feet, sits above the piers. Below the level of river bed is a cast iron subway , which links piers 3 and 4 of the bridge’s lifting span. Piers 3 and 4 support the lifting span in addition to the approach spans. They are constructed of

222-423: A pair of circular reinforced concrete caissons founded in the river bed. The caissons are linked by a concrete structure, positioned at approximately low tide level, which accommodates the machinery room and bearings for the lifting span. Two concrete towers extend above road level; both the towers and their piers are hollow as to allow them to support the lifting cables and counterweights . The towers are braced near

259-430: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The role of Mayor of Swale is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 2002 have been: Following the 2023 election , and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024,

296-503: A supply-related power failure, a standby diesel generator , capable of generating up to 40 kW, is located on site. The bridge and locations nearby were used in the BBC TV series ‘ Silent Witness ’, season 26, episodes 7 & 8 ‘Southbay pt1 & pt2’, although the episodes were set on the fictional island of Southbay on the Essex coast. The bridge was used as a key location for

333-576: A two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have

370-461: A two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with a borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them

407-466: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Kingsferry Bridge Opened in 1860, the first bridge on this site was constructed for the London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company on their line between Kent and the port of Sheerness . Originally

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444-728: A variety of smaller industrial sites. The Roman Watling Street passed through the area, as witness the straightness of the A2 main road, now by-passed by the M2 motorway . There are two railway lines in Swale: the Chatham Main Line and the Sheerness line , which meet at Sittingbourne . Two adjoining bridges across The Swale link the Isle of Sheppey to the mainland: Kingsferry Bridge and

481-471: Is 102.5 feet (31.2 m) c/c of bearings, with cantilevers of 10.25 feet (3.12 m) either end to the lifting cross girders. The approach spans have cross girders, spaced 8 feet (2.4 m) apart, while the lifting girder features cross girders spaced at intervals of 20.5 feet (6.2 m). The bridge abutments are of cellular concrete construction. Pier 1, 2, 5 and 6 comprise five reinforced concrete circular caisson piles , formed as piers. They have

518-554: Is at the southern end of the bridge. When opened, the structure carried the A249 ; up to 30,000 vehicles per day used the bridge. Most vehicular traffic has been diverted onto the Sheppey Crossing , which opened in 2006. The number of road vehicles crossing Kingsferry Bridge has dropped but it is still maintained as a key roadway between the island and the mainland, particularly for non-vehicular traffic and pedestrians. In 1860,

555-674: Is based at Swale House on East Street in Sittingbourne. Swale is a mainly rural borough, containing a high proportion of the UK's apple, pear, cherry and plum orchards (the North Kent Fruit Belt), as well as many of its remaining hop gardens. Faversham has the Shepherd Neame brewery. Founded in 1698 it is claimed to be oldest brewery in the UK. Sheerness is a busy port and previously produced steel. Sittingbourne has

592-604: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with

629-571: The Local Government Act 1972 covering the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Swale, after the waterway which divides the mainland part of the district from the Isle of Sheppey. The district was awarded borough status on 20 January 1978, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. Swale Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Kent County Council . Most of

666-672: The Sheppey Crossing . In 2022, the council implemented a low-emission car club in the town of Faversham, in partnership with car sharing company Hiyacar. After a successful first year, the council expanded the Swale Car Club offering to the town of Sittingbourne. In terms of television, Swale is served by BBC South East and ITV Meridian (East) broadcasting from the Bluebell Hill transmitter. Local radio stations are: Local newspapers are Sittingbourne News Extra , yourswale , and Sheerness Times Guardian that serves

703-446: The Sittingbourne railway signalman has given authorisation to proceed when a train has passed out of the relevant track section. The maximum bridge lifting height is 84 feet; on attaining its full lift height, a klaxon is sounded to give auditory confirmation. To ensure that the lifting span has been correctly set back into place, it is equipped with locating devices to precisely align the tracks. To prevent operations being disrupted by

740-468: The South Eastern & Chatham Railway which replaced major elements of the bridge and during 1904, a replacement Scherzer-type moving section was installed. On 17 December 1922, the Norwegian cargo ship Gyp collided with the bridge causing extensive damage and a lengthy closure. Repairs took ten months before it was re-opened to traffic. It remained in use until 1960 when it was replaced by

777-474: The Isle of Sheppey. Most of the borough is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Faversham, Queenborough and Sheerness take the style "town council". The former Sittingbourne and Milton Urban District is an unparished area , as is the Halfway Houses area on Sheppey, being the only part of the pre-1974 borough of Queenborough-in-Sheppey not to have been subsequently added to a parish. For

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814-454: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by

851-530: The borough is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election a coalition of Labour , local party the Swale Independents , the Greens and an independent councillor have formed the council's administration. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as

888-667: The composition of the council was: One of the independent councillors sits with local party the Swale Independents as the 'Swale Independents Alliance', which forms part of the council's administration with Labour and the Greens. The other independent councillor does not belong to a group. The next elections are due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 47 councillors representing 24 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council

925-602: The council's first four years it had a chairman rather than a mayor. The chairmen were: From the grant of borough status in January 1978 onwards the chairman of the council has taken the title of mayor. The mayors have been: 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 (colloquially shire counties ) in

962-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming

999-486: The first bridge on the site was completed. It was a bascule bridge , built to carry railway traffic across The Swale between the Isle of Sheppey and mainland Kent for the London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company to the port of Sheerness . There was also provision for road traffic over a single lane, controlled by traffic lights. The LCDR and the South Eastern Railway (SER) amalgamated to form

1036-463: The gap in the electrification. Structurally, the bridge comprises two sets of approach spans, each of which has three spans, either side of the central main lifting span. Each span comprises two riveted longitudinal steel deck girders , supporting riveted cross girders, which in turn support a reinforced concrete slab deck. Each set of three spans consists of two simply supported end spans which continue as cantilevers approximately 1/5 span into

1073-614: The mainland part of the borough. Some southern parts of the borough lie within the Kent Downs , a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The borough borders the Medway unitary authority area to the west, the Borough of Maidstone to the south-west, the Borough of Ashford to the south-east, and the City of Canterbury to the east. The district was created on 1 April 1974 under

1110-455: The middle span. The central 3/5 span sections are simply supported drop in spans supported by halving joints. The main span is a structurally independent lifting span. The bearings are inset from the end lifting beams. Spans 1, 3, 5 and 7 are 82 feet (25 m) c/c of bearings. Spans 2 and 6 are 86 feet (26 m), with halving joints 17.5 feet (5.3 m) from both end and a suspended span of 51 feet (16 m). The central lifting span, Span 4,

1147-420: The present bridge and demolished. During the late 1940s, it was recognised that a new bridge was required, because the existing bridge did not meet the increasing traffic demands of people wanting to use road vehicles. The design for the replacement bridge incorporated a two-lane roadway and a pedestrian footpath alongside the railway track. The new bridge's elevation was dictated by the low-lying river banks and

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1184-501: The railway limited its maximum possible gradient. In December 1957, construction commenced. The resident engineer was R. Hodges and the civil engineering company John Howard & Co was appointed the principal contractor; the steelwork was sourced from Dorman Long and the machinery was provided Sir William Arrol & Co. On 20 April 1960, it was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent . For many decades, Kingsferry Bridge

1221-565: The right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues a style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system

1258-413: The top by two concrete beams. The moving section of the bridge is actuated via a pair of large electric motors located beneath the deck of the roadway. At either side are engine rooms containing equipment for operating the wire ropes and counterweights that lift and lower the bridge. Three storage areas and the bridge control room are located in the bases of the towers. The bridge can only be lifted when

1295-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since

1332-620: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in

1369-419: Was the only crossing to Sheppey. Before the opening of the Sheppey Crossing in 2006, up to 30,000 vehicles per day crossed the bridge. Road traffic was inconvenienced when the bridge was opened to enable the boats to pass, usually at high tide. Each closure lasts for 15 to 20 minutes. Kingsferry Bridge has been raised over 100,000 times during its lifetime; each lift has to be recorded. During January 2015,

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