Adur
§ This page gives an overview of the Adur local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Adur district lies on the West Sussex coast, centred on the town of Shoreham-by-Sea at the mouth of the River Adur. Shoreham has a harbour, historic streets, and a beach, while Lancing and Sompting are suburban coastal communities. The South Downs rise just inland, offering chalk hills, trails, and panoramic views. Coastal flats, river estuaries, and farmland contrast with seaside towns, creating a landscape of both maritime and rural character.
The administrative boundary of Adur can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Adur.
Key Facts about Adur
What region is Adur in? Adur is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Adur in? Adur is located in the county of West Sussex.
Is Adur a city? No, Adur is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Adur? The local authority for this district is: Adur District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since West Sussex is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: West Sussex County Council.
▶ Official website of Adur District Council 🔗 adur-worthing.gov.uk
Which police force covers Adur? Policing in Adur is provided by Sussex Police 🔗 sussex.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Adur ⁞ Arun ⁞ Brighton and Hove ⁞ Chichester ⁞ Crawley ⁞ Eastbourne ⁞ Hastings ⁞ Horsham ⁞ Lewes ⁞ Mid Sussex ⁞ Rother ⁞ Wealden ⁞ Worthing.
Constituencies in Adur
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Adur
Adur is divided into 14 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Buckingham
- Churchill
- Cokeham
- Eastbrook
- Hillside
- Manor
- Marine
- Mash Barn
- Peverel
- Southlands
- Southwick Green
- St Mary's
- St Nicolas
- Widewater
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Adur
Adur is part-parished: 3 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 3 unparished areas.
- Coombes
- Lancing
- Sompting
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Adur
Adur covers 6 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Brighton and Hove *
- Lancing and Sompting *
- Shoreham-by-Sea
- Sompting *
- Southwick (Adur) *
- Worthing *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Adur.)
Adur compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Adur compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Adur has 14 electoral wards.
Adur has a population of 64,889 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Adur can be found on the ONS statistics for Adur.