By Cllr Jim Martin, Leader of Folkestone & Hythe District Council and Cabinet Member for Otterpool Park & Planning Policy
You may have read or heard recently that local government is to be reorganised. This will mean the abolition of district and county councils, which will be replaced by new ‘unitary’ authorities.
This means that I, and my fellow ten Green councillors, are among the last cohort of district councillors for Folkestone & Hythe. The council will disappear in 2027, or possibly 2028. Meanwhile, we are waiting to hear whether elections to Kent County Council (KCC), due in May, will be postponed for a year.
The Green Party sees the Government’s local government reorganisation as an erosion of local democracy and I agree. There are currently 36 district and county councillors representing local people but in future there will likely only be 12, each covering a wider patch and a wider range of issues.
That is not to say local government wouldn’t benefit from streamlining and I know many residents will appreciate no longer having to wrestle with whether to go to the district or the county council to try and resolve their problem. Local government reorganisation is often described as, or alongside, devolution because the government also wants to establish county mayors with powers over areas such as public transport.
Town and parish councils will remain under the new structure and their role will become even more important. I am very proud of what we have achieved running Hythe Town Council since 2019 but not every town is as lucky Our district also has town councils in Folkestone, Hawkinge, New Romney and Lydd but many do not. Likewise, we have many parish councils, although these especially lack the resources to take on an expanded role.
We have achieved so much at district council since the first six Green councillors were elected in 2019 and then, when eleven of us were elected in May 2023, we took control of the council in a coalition with the two LibDems. I was honoured to become the first Green council leader in Kent. We have achieved a great deal, working constructively with other parties and the community.
I know Labour members are angry we supported a motion from the Conservatives to seek the secretary of state’s approval to reverse the council’s decision to go to a committee system from the current cabinet model. This was a manifesto promise, born out of anger over the previous leader ignoring a motion cancelling planning permission for the now halted Princes Parade development, so this wasn’t a decision any of us took lightly.
I still believe the committee system, which involves all councillors in decision-making, is more democratic, but continuing with it would involve a huge amount of work by officers and councillors and it would barely be bedded in before the council was abolished. Just as the Labour Party nationally has justified going back on undertakings it made previously by citing changed circumstances, so we must be able to look again at this. It would make no sense to add more disruption to the monumental change coming our way. Instead, I want to support council officers to ensure residents continue getting the services they need, to avoid the risk of losing staff and to work together to ensure the people of our district get the best possible deal out of reorganisation.
There are still lots of unanswered questions, including over the shape of the new unitary council and the precise timetable for change, but I am actively involved in discussions with other Kent leaders and the government, and will continue to share what I learn.
For now, I hope you will continue to support what Shepway Green Party is striving to achieve for our district. Our district, town and county councillors will continue working hard on day-to-day issues, while we all wrestle with what lies ahead.
We need your support more than ever so that the Green Party can continue to build upon its success and continue to represent local people in the future.
Councillor Jim Martin, Leader of Folkestone & Hythe District Council and a Hythe Town and District councillor
