Folkestone & Hythe District Council wants to see a major shake-up of how local government works in Kent and has voted to support a plan to create three large, new councils across Kent.
These new councils would be called “unitary authorities.”
Right now, there are two main types of councils:
- County Councils (for big things like roads and social care).
- District Councils (for local things like rubbish collection and planning).
The ‘unitary’ plan would combine both types of services into one single, powerful council for each area, making things simpler. Under the preferred plan, the Folkestone & Hythe area would join up with Dover, Thanet, Ashford, and Canterbury to form one of the three new super-councils, called East Kent.
The other two new super-councils would be West Kent and North Kent.
This ‘three unitary’ idea is one of five different options being discussed for Kent and was chosen by Folkestone & Hythe’s council leaders because:
- It was the most popular option after talking to local town and parish councils.
- Emergency services (fire, police) and the NHS (health care) also support it.
- It groups areas that already have strong links, such as where people travel for work, education, or hospital visits.
Council Leader Cllr Jim Martin admitted that changing the system can feel like a loss of local power, but he said this option seems to be the best fit for their district.
What’s Next?
- Other councils in Kent are meeting now to choose their preferred options.
- All the plans will be sent to the central government by November 28th.
- Early next year (2026), the government will ask all Kent residents for their opinion on the different options.
- The government is expected to make a final decision by Summer 2026.
- If this plan goes ahead, the new super-councils would start running things in April 2028.