Local government reorganisation (LGR)
Central government has said it wants residents to be served by just one local council (known as a ‘unitary council’). Medway Council already operates in this way.
Apart from Medway, Kent currently has two layers of local government - the county council (KCC) looking after services including education and children, social care and roadworks. The other layer is the 12 borough and district councils, of which Folkestone & Hythe is one.
In July 2026 government ministers agreed the number of new unitary authorities serving residents in Kent and Medway.
Folkestone & Hythe will join with Ashford and Swale.
The new unitary authorities are due to begin delivering services from April 2028.
Timeline
July 2026
Central government publishes its preferred option for four new unitary councils for Kent and Medway.
February 2026
The government has launched a consultation about how many unitary authorities should be in Kent. It is consulting on all the options put forward, including the option preferred by Folkestone & Hythe district councillors and known as 3a. The consultation will remain open until Thursday 26 March 2026 and residents and businesses can take part by completing a survey on the Government website. There is more information about the options, including maps and the business cases for each, on the Kent Leaders website.
November 2025
Draft business cases have been published on the Kent Leaders website for five different options of how many unitary authorities there should be and the areas they should cover.
The two cases, chosen by council leaders in September, have been prepared with the help of advisers KPMG. Using the same data, three other business cases have been prepared by other councils at their own cost.
Throughout November, each individual council will use its own decision-making process to confirm its preferred model and associated business case.
Folkestone and Hythe councillors met on Wednesday 19 November to discuss the options. Following the full council meeting, Cabinet members met and agreed the council’s preferred option of Option 3a. This proposes three unitary authorities providing all council services. Folkestone & Hythe would join Dover, Thanet, Ashford and Canterbury to form an east Kent unitary. The other unitaries would be west Kent and north Kent.
Business cases have to be submitted to central government by Friday 28 November.
Early in 2026, the government is expected to carry out public consultation with all Kent residents on the eligible options.
A decision by the government on the final structure of unitary councils is then due to be made in summer 2026.
September 2025
Further work is being undertaken in the county, with the assistance of KPMG, on two options.
One proposes three unitaries with Folkestone and Hythe in the east with Ashford, Dover, Thanet and Canterbury. The other option is four unitaries with Folkestone and Hythe in the middle of Kent with Ashford and Swale.
March 2025
An interim plan submitted to the government on 21 March 2025 by councils in Kent suggested that three or four unitary authorities would be the right number.
The government response to the interim plan has welcomed the initial thinking on the options for LGR in Kent and Medway.
Public engagement
A public meeting was held in the council chamber on 17 March 2025. The council leader Cllr Jim Martin answered questions from those attending and questions raised prior to the meeting by those unable to attend. The event was recorded and can be viewed.
Further public engagement was carried out during autumn 2025 following an LGR awareness campaign.
More information
Read the English Devolution White Paper - published 16 December 2024.
For more information about local government reorganisation and devolution visit the Local Government Association's devolution and LG reorganisation hub. This online resource includes a handy glossary of terms used when devolution and local government reorganisation is discussed.