Folkestone & Hythe is set to become a ‘council of sanctuary’ thanks to a Green Party motion, which sparked an impassioned debate. Cllr Anita Jones’ motion to a meeting of full council called for the district to join a network of local authorities across the country which have joined hands to make our cities, towns and parishes places of welcome and safety for people fleeing violence and persecution. The motion demonstrates a commitment to combat racism in all its forms at a time when the Green Party has come under attack.

The Government has paused local government reorganisation pending a review, despite months spent preparing for new unitary authorities to take the place of district councils like Folkestone & Hythe and Kent County Council. This means elections to the district council will go ahead in May. We are proud of our record leading Folkestone & Hythe District Council since May 2023, responding to residents, rebuilding relationships between community organisations and the council and providing hundreds of thousands of pounds in grants. Now that Folkestone & Hythe District Council will remain, we want to continue that work.

Green Party councillors Pauline Curran and Nicki Stuart have been chosen as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Hythe for the coming year. They are part of a team that's put Hythe Town Council at the heart of the community, working hard for residents young and old.

In the three years since Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) became the first in Kent to be led by the Green Party, our councillors, working constructively with other parties, have achieved real results for residents and long-term improvements to our district. The last year has seen progress acquiring new council homes, creating a new future for Folkestone town centre, supporting those who need a helping hand and protecting and enhancing our local environment.

Network Rail has acknowledged the key part played by Green-led Folkestone & Hythe District Council in getting government backing for a project that it predicts could see 140,000 trucks taken off our roads. A goods yard will be leased in Barking, East London, to create an international hub connected directly to the high speed railway line and the Channel Tunnel.

The Green Party believes in the power of community. Town and parish councils are well-placed to understand what's needed in their areas, to access funding and to take a leading role in making positive changes. As Anne Beales explains, in Lympne, such an approach brought villagers together and will leave a lasting legacy.

The prospect of Dungeness generating nuclear power again is being talked up again, even though nothing has changed to make it viable. Renewable energy provides a quicker, safer, cheaper alternative and doesn't have to mean allowing large-scale solar farms to consume Romney Marsh.

Reform's move to cancel Kent County Council's Climate Emergency Declaration is a dangerous backward step, based on a spurious sources selected to support the party's agenda rather than almost universally accepted science. Here we fact-check many of their claims. 

Green-led Folkestone & Hythe District Council is drawing a line under years of controversy by announcing that Princes Parade will be left as it is, allowing biodiversity to thrive.

The planning process can be as confusing as it is controversial. Here we explain very briefly how it works and the constraints upon planning authorities like Folkestonbe & Hythe District Council and our councillors who sit on the planning committee.