The English Devolution White Paper was published in December 2024 by central government.
A white paper is a document explaining government policy and this one outlines plans to transfer more powers from national government to local areas – a procedure known as devolution.
The government wants to create strategic authorities, some with elected mayors.
What is happening in Kent?
In the white paper there was an invitation to councils to apply to be one of the first strategic authorities.
Following discussions with Kent’s borough and district councils (including Folkestone & Hythe), Kent County Council and Medway Council asked the government to be one of the first strategic authorities and to be included in its Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).
The list of councils in the priority programme was published on 5 February 2025 but did not include Kent and Medway.
Local government reorganisation (LGR)
In addition to devolution, the 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.
It has not yet been decided how many unitary authorities there will be in Kent. Government guidance is that each should serve approximately 500,000 residents.
The new unitary authorities are due to begin delivering services from April 2028.
Timeline
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 are due to meet at 4pm on Wednesday 19 November to discuss the options. Following the full council meeting, Cabinet members will meet to agree the council’s preferred option.
Business cases then need 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
Folkestone & Hythe District Council is committed to listening to the views of residents about the changes planned for local government.
A public meeting was held in the council chamber on 17 March 2025 and those attending (both in person and online) were shown maps of the possible geographical options for the new unitary authorities. 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 is due to be 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.
Page updated: 5 November 2025