🗳️ Folkestone to be merged into ‘insane’ new Mid Kent council

Plus: Parks awarded Green Flag status, and ‘Cold War bunker’ up for sale

Folkestone is to be part of a new Mid Kent unitary authority after Whitehall confirmed the final shape of the biggest shake-up of local government in the country for more than half a century.

The new council—which will provide services to a population of more than 400,000 people—will stretch from Dungeness in the south to Sheerness in the north. It will cover the areas of the existing Folkestone & Hythe, Ashford and Swale district and borough councils which will, along with Kent County Council, cease to exist in 2028.

Under a proposal known as Option 4B, the existing two-tier system of local government in Kent will be swept away, with existing councils replaced by four unitary bodies covering North Kent, West Kent, Mid Kent and East Kent.

During consultations into the Labour government’s plans for Local Government Reorganisation, 4B failed to gain any backing from councillors on Folkestone & Hythe District Council. The majority expressed support for Option 3A, which would have seen Kent carved into three and our district become part of an East Kent unitary authority. 4B was supported by three councils—Dover, Thanet and Swale.

Reacting to last week’s decision to proceed with four unitary authorities, district council leader Cllr Jim Martin said: “Although this was not the option for local government in Kent that I and fellow councillors supported, we shall be endeavouring to ensure that the reorganisation is carried out so that we continue to deliver the very best services for residents and businesses in the Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh district.”

Kent will be divided into four new unitary authorities from 2028

Cllr Tim Prater, a Liberal Democrat who sits on both the district and county councils, was less diplomatic. “Of the potential local government models, one that nails together Folkestone & Hythe and Ashford with Swale is insane,” he told the Dispatch shortly after the news broke on Thursday. “We have few educational, health, policing, business, infrastructure, transport, social care or even entertainment and hospitality links, and it’s futile to think they are going to evolve.

“It fails the most basic tests of an idea of community aligning with other service boundaries. It even fails to unite our cross-Channel operations—which are vital to this country’s economy—into one council area, which could have led to much more strategic planning and unpicking of the complexities of Operation Brock, Dover TAP, EES and the rest.

“If you are interested in getting to know the new Mid Kent unitary authority area by public transport, you’d better have time on your hands—it is hours from one end to the other and, without building a new road network or railway, it always will be.

“This is a plan put forward by other councils not for positive reasons, but to try to avoid worse options for them. It leaves us saddled with one of the most nonsensical options for Folkestone & Hythe, and has been forced on our area by someone in Westminster with clearly either no idea about our area or no concern for it.”

A significant change of direction

Although drawing boundaries on a map is always liable to produce the occasional quirk, it is likely to prove difficult—at least at first—for people in Folkestone see themselves as part of something called Mid Kent.

Healthcare here is provided by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. The town is in the East Division of Kent Police. Our buses are operated by Stagecoach South East as part of a network largely designed around Canterbury. Further education is provided by the East Kent Colleges Group. Now, rather than being part of a council area covering Canterbury and the coastal communities of the east of the county, we are being told to look towards parts of Kent with which we share no deep historic links.

Want to get to Swale by public transport? Best of luck, you’ll almost certainly have to cross the new council’s borders before heading back in. As one observer quipped when asked about where the new Mid Kent council should have its HQ: “It really should have good transport links from all parts of the authority, and on that basis, I guess we have to look at St Pancras.”

When Folkestone & Hythe District Council announced its support for the three-unitary Option 3A in November, Cllr Martin said: “I have been visiting town and parish councils across the district and listening to local views on what future local government should look like in our part of Kent.

“Local government reorganisation is quite simply an erosion of local democracy, but we must look for the positives. What came across to us from the majority was that the three-unitary option looks the best one for our district. The fire and police services and the NHS all support the three-unitary option and it reflects the existing links we have with the other areas, including where people travel to work or look to for further education or healthcare.”

It was not to be. Now, despite all those existing ties to the eastern portion of the county, we will be asked to look towards Ashford, Sittingbourne and Sheerness, with councillors there deciding on matters affecting Folkestone, Hythe and the Romney Marsh. How that works in practice remains to be seen.

One council, all the services

The new Mid Kent unitary authority, along with the other created by this restructure of local government, will have responsibility for vast swathes of our everyday lives. From education to emptying the bins, and from social care to libraries and leisure centres, they will take on the full range of services we currently receive from the county and district councils.

Announcing the final plans last week, the government restated its belief that these changes will bring about “more streamlined and accessible services” for residents. Cllr Prater cautioned against the assumption that pooling of services would automatically produce better outcomes, pointing to the experience of East Kent Housing. That body saw four councils unite to deliver housing services under an umbrella body, but it was eventually disbanded following health and safety failings and board dismissals.

The option for the future of local government in Kent supported by Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Cllr Prater told the Dispatch he believes the best approach may be for the new authority to be “set up with three operational area committees from day one—let’s call them Folkestone and Hythe, Ashford and Swale—and continue to deliver services on that basis, ring-fenced as much as possible to those areas”.

He continued: “Folkestone & Hythe pooled all its council housing into East Kent Housing, and it was a complete bin fire. Area committees, with real delegated powers and authority, might just avoid some of those bin fires, if it is set up with and by councillors that know what they are doing and are strong local representatives. If new councillors with no idea of how services are delivered try to create merged services across that area from day one—bin fire you can see from space.”

Heading to the ballot box

Elections to the new unitary councils are scheduled for May 2027, ahead of the new councils starting to deliver services in April 2028. It will be interesting to see what the make-up of the Mid Kent authority looks like after the voters go to the polls.

How seats on the three councils that will make up Mid Kent are currently held

Combining the seats held by the various parties on the three predecessor councils, the political picture looks decidedly mixed, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Greens well represented alongside significant groupings of independents in both Swale and Ashford.

But the three councils were last contested before Reform swept to power at County Hall at the most recent elections to Kent County Council. With a new man in Downing Street, and Nigel Farage facing lingering questions over his finances, it could be all to play for when votes are cast next spring.

---

---

Subscribe, save and give

Subscribe via this link to save 10% on an annual subscription to this newsletter and we will donate £3 to our 2026 charity of the year, South Kent Mind. Support the Dispatch, and help us support a wonderful charity helping people in our community

---

News in brief

🌳 Five of the district’s best-loved parks and green spaces will proudly fly the Green Flag yet again after retaining the prestigious status. Kingsnorth Gardens, the Lower Leas Coastal Park, Radnor Park and the Royal Military Canal have all been recognised for 2026/27, along with KCC-managed Brockhill Country Park. The Green Flag Award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces that display the highest environmental standards, are beautifully maintained and have excellent visitor facilities.

Five district parks have been awarded Green Flag status for 2026/27. Picture: FHDC

Cllr Connor McConville, district council cabinet member for assets, said: “I’ve visited these parks for many years, and have always tremendously admired the amount of dedication our staff undertake to keep them to a well maintained, award-winning standard. We’re incredibly proud to retain Green Flag status and continue to offer these spaces for generations to come.”

🪜 If you fancy owning a slice of 20th century military history—with the added bonus of far-reaching sea views—then local estate agents Miles & Barr have just the thing for you. They are marketing a plot of land in Crete Road West that is advertising as coming complete with its own ‘Cold War bunker’. It is understood the subterranean installation was used during the final years of the stand-off with the Soviet Union for the monitoring of any potential nuclear conflict. The land, which the agents say could be used to park up a motorhome, is listed for auction with a guide price of £45,000.

The site of the ‘Cold War bunker’ overlooking Folkestone. Picture: Miles & Barr

🚲 Folkestone Academy has officially opened its new mountain biking track. The construction of the facility was funded by the charity Friends of Folkestone Academy, which supports both Folkestone Academy and Folkestone Primary School. Head of school Ben Williams said: “Our new track is really exciting because it’s yet another sport our children can try out. If it’s something they really like, we are hoping that for some of them it will become a life-long love of mountain biking and biking as a sport. Now the track is up and running, we will have a weekly club to provide access to pupils if they have a bike. Our longer term goal is to raise funds for bikes for pupils who don’t currently own a bike who would like to ride the trail.” The track was opened by former World Cup downhill rider Gareth Northam, pictured below during the ribbon-cutting, earlier this month.

---

---

That’s all from me this week. I’d like to wish everyone who will be partying at Pride this weekend the very best of fun. Let’s hope the sun is shining and a good time is had by all. Next week’s Dispatch will be in your inboxes at the same time next Wednesday, and on Monday evening you’ll have the next edition of On The Town arriving with plenty of ideas for things to do in the week ahead.

All the best, Rhys

---

Did you appreciate this edition of the Folkestone Dispatch? Please forward it to a friend, share it on social media, get in touch with me via email, or leave a comment. The Wednesday newsletter is free to everyone, and will always remain so, but please do help it to have a sustainable future if £5 a month is affordable to you and you find this newsletter interesting, engaging, useful, or all three.

---

In case you missed it…