Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is the local authority for the Folkestone & Hythe district in Kent, which was known as Shepway until 2018.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council
History
Founded1 April 2019
Structure
Seats30 councillors
Political groups
Administration (23)
  •   Conservative (13)
  •   Green (6)
  •   Liberal Democrats (2)
  •   Independent (2)

Opposition (7)

Elections
First past the post
Website
www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk

Wards

The District Council consists of 30 councillors representing 13 wards.:[1]

  • Folkestone: six wards (Broadmead; Cheriton; East Folkestone; Folkestone Central; Folkestone Harbour; Sandgate and West Folkestone)
  • Hythe
  • Hythe Rural
  • New Romney
  • North Downs East (including Elham and Hawkinge)
  • North Downs West (including Stelling Minnis, Lyminge and Sellindge)
  • Romney Marsh
  • Walland and Denge Marsh

Council Composition

Following the May 2015 elections, the composition of Folkestone & Hythe District Council is 22 Conservatives, 7 UKIP and 1 Labour. In October 2016 the 1 Labour councillor defected to the Conservative party, this saw the composition of Folkestone & Hythe District Council as: 23 Conservatives and 7 UKIP.

Following the 2019 Local Elections, the Conservatives lost their majority on the council but remained the largest party. The Conservative Party won 13 seats, The Green Party and Labour both won 6, UKIP and the Liberal Democrats won 2 and an Independent won 1 seat. Since then one Labour councillor has left the party to sit as an independent.

The current cabinet comprises a 4-way coalition with Conservatives councillors as well as two independent councillors as well as a Green and a Liberal Democrat councillor.

Controversies

Undeclared gifts from Lydd Airport

In 2011, Lydd Airport's owners, seeking to expand the airport, gave gifts to councillors that the councillors did not declare.[2]

Otterpool Park planning permission

Folkestone and Hythe District Council was reported to have spent over £50m up to July 2020 on a proposed housing development on the former Folkestone racecourse site, despite the 10,000 home scheme not having planning permission. The site had been bought for £4m in 2016 by the billionaire Reuben brothers via a British Virgin Islands-registered company 'Cozumel Estates' who then submitted development proposals to the council for approval, in a partnership with the council. The brothers withdrew from the scheme in 2019 and sold the site to the council for £25m in 2020.[3][4]

References
  1. "Elections 2007 to Folkestone & Hythe wards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-20. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  2. "Lifting the Lydd". Private Eye (1300). November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  3. Private Eye, Issue 1527, p21
  4. "Kent Online".
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