Borough of Dartford

The Borough of Dartford is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England, in the far north west of the county. Its council is in Dartford. It is part of the contiguous London urban area. It borders the borough of Gravesham to the east, Sevenoaks District to the south, the London Borough of Bexley to the west, and the Thurrock unitary authority of Essex to the north, across the River Thames, having the longest bridge and tunnel across the river to allow the M25 motorway to cross. According to the 2011 Census, its population was 97,365.The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, Swanscombe Urban District, and part of Dartford Rural District. In the mid-1990s review of local government in Kent, consideration was given to merging the borough with that of adjoining Gravesham to form a new unitary authority. However, the proposal proved unpopular amongst residents who took part in the consultation, and the two borough councils kept their identities.