The government is asking residents in Folkestone, Kent, to help decide how their local services will be run as part of a major plan to reorganise local government and abolish some councils. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) launched a seven-week statutory consultation on 5 February 2026 to consider replacing the current system of 14 councils with a smaller number of larger unitary authorities. For people living in Folkestone, the leading ‘South Kent’ model would see Folkestone & Hythe District Council abolished and merged with Ashford and Dover to form a single South Kent unitary authority.
Under a single-tier model, one council would be responsible for services currently split between county and district tiers — from bin collections and housing to social care and highways. Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said the consultation is intended to simplify services and enable Kent to take on more control over funding; the exercise is also a prerequisite for a potential devolution deal that could introduce an elected ‘Metro Mayor’ for Kent and Medway. Folkestone Town Council is expected to continue and could gain additional responsibilities for very local matters under proposals for ‘double devolution.’
According to the Kent Council Leaders LGR portal, five different proposals have been put forward for how the county could be reconfigured into three, four or five unitary authorities. Some local leaders have expressed concern that merging different towns could dilute local budgets and identity, while others argue reorganisation is needed to save money and reduce the scope for different councils to ‘pass the buck’ on issues such as road repairs. Medway Council and other authorities have published timelines and briefings setting out how the process will progress over the coming months.
Residents have until 11:59pm on 26 March 2026 to submit their views via the GOV.UK consultation portal, by email, or in writing to the Ministry. A final decision on which proposal, if any, to implement is expected in summer 2026, and if ministers approve a model there could be ‘shadow’ councils and other transitional arrangements beginning in 2027.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
