Councils differ on best path for reorganising local government

FOLKESTONE AND HYTHE BACKS 3-AUTHORITY PLAN - WHILE DOVER FAVOURS 4

- By HEDI MEHREZ

AS discussions continue over the planned Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Kent, Dover District Council has officially given its backing to a four-unitary model, while Folkestone and Hythe has backed the three-authority option.

The Labour Government's plans to reorganise local government across the country involve merging together county, district, and town councils to form a much smaller number of unitary authorities, with the proposed options for Kent and Medway ranging from between one and four unitary authorities for the whole county.

Under the current system, Kent County Council provides services such as education, social services, and roads, while district or borough councils are responsible for others such as emptying bins and providing housing services.

Under the proposed reorganisation, the new unitary councils would deliver all council services across the area they cover.

Folkestone and Hythe District council has backed the LGR proposal for three unitary authorities, with Folkestone and Hythe becoming part of the East Kent authority area along with Dover, Thanet, Ashford, and Canterbury councils.

In this plan, which was agreed unanimously as the preferred choice by the district council's cabinet at their meeting on November 19, the new East Kent authority would be share the county with two others: West Kent and North Kent.

District council leader Cllr Jim Martin said: "Over the last month Cllr Connor McConville and I have been visiting town and parish councils across the district and listening to local views on what future local government should look like in our part of Kent.

"LGR is quite simply an erosion of local democracy, but we must look for the positives.