The population of Croydon Rural District doubled from 1901 to 1911 as suburban house building took place, with 11,389 in Coulsdon and 2,853 in Sanderstead in 1911. In both cases, the population was much higher than would be typical for rural parishes. Surrey County Council made an order in 1914 to abolish the rural district and this was completed in 1915. The new Coulsdon and Purley Urban District consisted of the parish of Coulsdon, including the settlements of Coulsdon and Purley, and the parish of Sanderstead. Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council replaced Coulsdon Parish Council, Sanderstead Parish Council and Croydon Rural District Council. By 1921 the population was 18,140 in Coulsdon and 3,351 in Sanderstead, and the total population had risen to 21,491.
In 1915 the electoral wards were Coulsdon, Kenley, Purley, Sanderstead and Woodcote. The electoral wards in 1937 were Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Kenley, Purley, Sanderstead, Selsdon and Farleigh, and Woodcote. The rates charged for the district were one of the lowest in Outer London and below the average for the part of Surrey within the Metropolitan Police District.
The urban district was within the Metropolitan Police District and part of the review area of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London. The commission proposed that it should form part of Greater London, to be combined with Caterham and Warlingham as a new borough. The government broadly accepted the proposal, adding the County Borough of Croydon to the new borough. Caterham and Warlingham Urban District Council requested that their area be excluded from Greater London and this was accepted by the government. Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council also requested to be excluded, but were turned down. Charles Doughty, MP for Surrey East proposed an amendment to the London Government Bill to exclude Coulsdon and Purley but was defeated. On 1 April 1965 the urban district was abolished and its former area became part of the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London.
Farleigh and Hooley transfers
It was anticipated that the practice of combining whole existing units of local government might provide an unsatisfactory boundary in some places. The London Government Act 1963 Section 6 provided a mechanism for communities on the edge of Greater London to petition for transfer to a neighbouring county. The legislation required the petition to be submitted between 1965 and 1970, to be signed by more than 300 local electors and for the area to be transferred to have no more than 10% of the borough's local electors. Following this procedure, in 1969 Farleigh was transferred back to Surrey to form part of the Chelsham and Farleigh parish in Godstone Rural District and Hooley became part of Banstead Urban District.
