Editing Tonbridge and Malling (section)

===Administrative history===
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. It covered the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, all of which were abolished at the same time:<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref>
*[[Malling Rural District]]
*[[Tonbridge Rural District]] (parishes of [[Hadlow]] and [[Hildenborough]] only, rest went to [[Borough of Tunbridge Wells|Tunbridge Wells]])
*[[Tonbridge]] [[Urban district (England and Wales)|Urban District]]
The new district was named Tonbridge and Malling, combining the names of the former districts.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref>

The district received [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] on 16 December 1983, changing the name of the council from Tonbridge and Malling District Council to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of [[Mayors in England|mayor]].<ref name=1983borough>{{cite news |title=Looking back on start of an era |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/looking-back-on-start-of-an-era-a48110/ |access-date=25 June 2023 |work=Kent Online |date=23 December 2008}}</ref>