Council scorecard
Canterbury City Council
- Type
- city
- Population
- ~165k
- Council website
- www.canterbury.gov.uk
Scorecard
Methodology published 2026-05-18. Pending cells reflect data collection in progress, not methodology uncertainty — they will populate as the underlying data is gathered.
Refuse collection
Missed bin reports, recycling rates, complaint resolution time
Partial Metric 1 score reflecting recycling rate (component 2 of 4, 30% weight) only; the three other components (missed-bin reports per 100k, complaint resolution time, service consistency) remain pending data ingest. Canterbury 2023-24 recycling rate 43.5% — above the Kent average (41.7%), just below the England average (~44%).
as of 2024 · source
Complaints handling
Volume, response times, LGSCO upheld findings
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
FOI response
Average response time, refusal/exemption rate, compliance with 20-day statutory deadline
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Financial health & budget discipline
Revenue budget variance, capital programme delivery, reserves + Section 114 risk, external auditor VfM judgment, council tax positioning + trajectory vs national
Partial Metric 4 score reflecting council tax positioning (component 5 of 6) only; the five other components (revenue budget variance, capital programme delivery, reserves + Section 114 risk, external auditor VfM judgement, multi-year tax trajectory) remain pending data ingest. Canterbury CC under Labour/LD coalition; council tax positioning broadly mid-pack within the district tier. Specific 2026-27 precept figure to be added at next refresh.
as of 2026 · source
Transparency
Open data publication, councillor expenses, contract register, committee paper publication
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Planning
Application approval ratios, appeal-overturn rate, determination time vs statutory targets
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Education & children's services
SEND/EHCP statutory processing, SEND tribunal LA-loss rate, children's services Ofsted rating, school transport delivery (county + unitary only)
Education and children's services are not a district/borough function. The county council (or, for Medway, the unitary authority) holds this remit.
Safeguarding & LADO
LADO referral handling, multi-agency safeguarding (MASH) timeliness, Section 47 enquiry compliance, independent safeguarding audit findings (county + unitary only)
Safeguarding is the statutory function of the county council or unitary authority via the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) and multi-agency safeguarding hub.
Manifesto delivery (Trust)
KLN tracks what the controlling party promised at the most recent election vs what was actually delivered. KEPT/PARTIAL/BROKEN/PENDING/OUT_OF_SCOPE categorisation.
Trust score: 2 judged pledges + 3 categorised public issues, averaged.
as of 2026-05-21
Top public issues for Canterbury residents
This is editorial assessment, not a metric score. Each issue carries an alignment tag — ALIGNED (council in step with residents), MIXED (some action falls short), COUNTERACTING (council against residents on this), or SILENT (no clear position). KLN-curated. Council positions added verbatim where provided. Right-of-reply opens with initial publication.
- 🟡Mixed
Air quality + pollution in the city
Canterbury's historic streetscape concentrates traffic + air pollution; AQMA (Air Quality Management Area) designations in place.
Council position
Labour 2023 manifesto committed to a Clean Air Strategy; Climate Change cabinet portfolio established.
KLN assessment
Strategy in development; cabinet portfolio is structural commitment. Measurable NO2/PM2.5 reductions in the AQMAs are the action evidence. Per the "actions, not statements" principle: MIXED.
- 🟡Mixed
Loss of acute hospital provision in Canterbury
Canterbury lost acute hospital services; residents now travel to William Harvey (Ashford) or QEQM (Margate). Long-running campaign for a new district general.
Council position
Labour 2023 manifesto explicitly committed to "campaign for an acute hospital in the city". Council role is lobbying, not delivery.
KLN assessment
Lobbying activity is real but limited; substantive decision rests with NHS England + East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust. No new acute provision delivered or imminent. Per the "actions, not statements" principle: MIXED — the council's campaign role does not deliver the outcome residents want.
- 🟡Mixed
Housing supply + active travel infrastructure
Canterbury housing affordability + cycle path completeness are recurring residents' concerns; the two interact through Local Plan + transport planning.
Council position
Labour 2023 manifesto committed to more council homes + improved cycle paths. Bus services are KCC remit, not Canterbury's.
KLN assessment
Aligned in intent; delivery against measurable council-home and cycle-path additions is the action evidence and not yet reviewed. Per the "actions, not statements" principle: MIXED.
How this scorecard works
Each metric is scored 0-100 and banded A through F. We do NOT aggregate to a single overall ranking — combining unrelated performance areas would mislead. See the methodology page for full details, thresholds, and data sources.
Spot an error or have data we should add for Canterbury? editor@kentlocalnews.co.uk.