Swale
§ This page gives an overview of the Swale local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Swale in north Kent is named after the tidal channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from the mainland. Sittingbourne is the main town, while Faversham adds historic charm with its medieval streets, markets, and brewing heritage. The Isle of Sheppey is known for its beaches, nature reserves, and Sheerness as a port town. The district is rich in wetlands, salt marshes, and estuarine landscapes, particularly around Oare Marshes and Elmley. Its mix of coast, industry, and rural farmland makes it geographically diverse.
Swale Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Swale local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Swale can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Swale.
Key Facts about Swale
What region is Swale in? Swale is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Swale in? Swale is located in the county of Kent.
Is Swale a city? No, Swale is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Swale? The local authority for this district is: Swale Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Kent is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Kent County Council.
▶ Official website of Swale Borough Council 🔗 swale.gov.uk
Which police force covers Swale? Policing in Swale is provided by Kent Police 🔗 kent.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Ashford ⁞ Canterbury ⁞ Dartford ⁞ Dover ⁞ Folkestone and Hythe ⁞ Gravesham ⁞ Maidstone ⁞ Medway ⁞ Sevenoaks ⁞ Swale ⁞ Thanet ⁞ Tonbridge and Malling ⁞ Tunbridge Wells.
Constituencies in Swale
Swale is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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 Swale
Swale is divided into 24 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abbey
- Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow
- Borden and Grove Park
- Boughton and Courtenay
- Chalkwell
- East Downs
- Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch
- Homewood
- Kemsley
- Milton Regis
- Minster Cliffs
- Murston
- Priory
- Queenborough and Halfway
- Roman
- Sheerness
- Sheppey Central
- Sheppey East
- St Ann's
- Teynham and Lynsted
- The Meads
- Watling
- West Downs
- Woodstock
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Swale
Swale is part-parished: 39 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Badlesmere
- Bapchild
- Bobbing
- Borden
- Boughton under Blean
- Bredgar
- Doddington
- Dunkirk
- Eastchurch
- Eastling
- Faversham
- Graveney with Goodnestone
- Hartlip
- Hernhill
- Iwade
- Leaveland
- Leysdown
- Lower Halstow
- Luddenham
- Lynsted with Kingsdown
- Milstead
- Minster-on-Sea
- Newington
- Newnham
- Norton, Buckland and Stone
- Oare
- Ospringe
- Queenborough
- Rodmersham
- Selling
- Sheerness
- Sheldwich
- Stalisfield
- Teynham
- Throwley
- Tonge
- Tunstall
- Upchurch
- Warden
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.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Swale
Below is a list of post towns in Swale, grouped by postcode area:
- ME ▸ Faversham (ME13) ⁞ Queenborough (ME11) ⁞ Sheerness (ME12) ⁞ Sittingbourne (ME9 / ME10)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Swale
Swale covers 28 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Borden
- Boughton under Blean
- Bredgar
- Broadoak
- Dunkirk
- Eastchurch
- Eastling
- Faversham
- Gillingham (Medway) *
- Halfway Houses
- Hartlip
- Highsted
- Iwade
- Leysdown-on-Sea
- Lower Halstow
- Lynsted
- Minster (Swale)
- Mud Row
- Newington
- Oversland
- Queenborough
- Sheerness
- Sittingbourne
- Teynham
- Upchurch
- Warden
- Waterham *
- Yorkletts *
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 Swale.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Swale
Swale is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Swale Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Southeastern ▸ Sittingbourne (ME10 3ED) ⁞ Faversham (ME13 8EB) ⁞ Sheerness-On-Sea (ME12 1RJ) ⁞ Kemsley (ME10 2ST) ⁞ Queenborough (ME11 5DB) ⁞ Teynham (ME9 9DU) ⁞ Newington (ME9 7LQ) ⁞ Selling (ME13 9PW) ⁞ Swale (ME9 8SS)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Swale compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Swale compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Swale has 24 electoral wards.
Swale has a population of 158,379 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Swale
This chart shows the population trend for Swale from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Swale can be found on the ONS statistics for Swale.