Folkestone and Hythe District | |
|---|---|
 Folkstone skyline and surrounding coastline | |
 Folkestone and Hythe shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Folkestone |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Folkestone & Hythe District Council |
| • MPs | Tony Vaughan |
| Area | |
• Total | 137.7 sq mi (356.7 km2) |
| • Rank | 100th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 112,411 |
| • Rank | 221st(of 296) |
| • Density | 816.2/sq mi (315.1/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UL (ONS) E07000112 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TR2233835912 |
Folkestone and Hythe is alocal government district inKent, England. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the coast of theEnglish Channel. The district was formed in 1974 and was originally namedShepway after one of the ancientlathes of Kent, which had covered a similar area. The district was renamed in 2018. The council is based inFolkestone, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns ofHawkinge,Hythe,Lydd andNew Romney, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
TheNorth Downs hills extend into the north of the district, parts of which fall within the designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty of theKent Downs. Much of the south of the district forms the low-lyingRomney Marsh, an area of land partly reclaimed from the sea. The district contains theEurotunnel Folkestone Terminal, the main interchange for road vehicles at the UK end of theChannel Tunnel.
The neighbouring districts (anti-clockwise from north-east) areDover,Canterbury,Ashford andRother. The latter is inEast Sussex, the rest are in Kent. To the south-east is the sea.
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the area of six former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was originally named Shepway, after one of the lathes of Kent.[3] The lathe had historically covered a similar, but not identical, area to the modern district; some parts from the north-east of the old lathe are in Dover District, some parts from the north-west are in Ashford Borough.[4]
Lathes were administrative and judicial subdivisions of Kent fromAnglo-Saxon times.[5] This lathe had probably originated in the 6th century, during theJutish colonisation, as the territory of theLimenwara people. It was originally namedLympne after the village where its courts were held, but by the 13th century the lathe's name had been changed to Shepway.[6][7] The court of Shepway, which met at Shepway Cross at Lympne, also played an important role in the administration of theCinque Ports.[8]
The lathes were never formally abolished, but gradually lost their administrative functions from the 17th century onwards. By the end of the 19th century they had no remaining functions.
In 2018 the council voted to change the name of the district, on the basis that the name Shepway only had limited recognition from the public and businesses. It decided to rename the district after its two largest towns, which together have nearly two thirds of the district's population. Supporters of the change argued it would improve awareness of the area and encourage investment and regeneration. The change of name took effect on 1 April 2018.[9][10] The name was already used for theFolkestone and Hythe constituency, created in 1950, which covers a similar area to the district.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leadership | |
Susan Priest since 1 April 2018 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 30 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue,Folkestone, CT20 2QY | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Folkestone and Hythe District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byKent County Council.[13] The district is also entirely covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[14]
The council has been underno overall control since 2019. Following the2023 election a minority administration of theGreen Party andLiberal Democrats formed to run the council, led by Green councillor Jim Martin.[15][16]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[17][18]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1987 | |
| No overall control | 1987–1991 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1991–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–1999 | |
| Conservative | 1999–2003 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2003–2004 | |
| No overall control | 2004–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1999 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory Love[19][20] | Conservative | 12 May 1999 | May 2003 | |
| Linda Cufley[21][22] | Liberal Democrats | 14 May 2003 | 5 Aug 2004 | |
| Robert Bliss[23][24] | Conservative | 5 Aug 2004 | 15 May 2013 | |
| David Monk[24][25] | Conservative | 15 May 2013 | May 2023 | |
| Jim Martin[26] | Green | 24 May 2023 | ||
Following the2023 election and a subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to March 2025, the composition of the council was:[27][28][29]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 11 | |
| Labour | 9 | |
| Conservative | 5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | |
| Independent | 2 | |
| Reform | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | |
The two independent councillors form a group with the Liberal Democrats.[30] The next election is due in 2027.[29]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 30councillors representing 13wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[31]
The council is based at the Civic Centre on Castle Hill Avenue. The building was completed in 1966 for the old Folkestone Borough Council.[32] In 2020 the council announced that it was considering the possibility of moving to new premises, although it remains at the Civic Centre as at May 2024.[33][34]
In 2011,Lydd Airport's owners, seeking to expand the airport, gave gifts to councillors that the councillors did not declare.[35]
Folkestone and Hythe District Council was reported to have spent over £50m up to July 2020 on a proposed housing development on the formerFolkestone 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.[36][37] The local authority granted permission for Otterpool Park in 2023.
Folkestone and Hythe occupies the most southerly part of Kent. It is bounded on the north byAshford andCanterbury Districts; on the east byDover District and on the south by theStrait of Dover. TheRomney and Walland Marshes cover a good deal of its area to the west; where theNorth Downs begin to reach the sea there is much more in the way of settlement. Four out of five towns in the District are located along the coast. The district area is the same size as the similarly namedFolkestone & Hythe parliamentary constituency, but leaves out theSaxon Shore ward from the neighbouringBorough of Ashford.
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[38]
| Climate data for Folkestone & Hythe, UK | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 8 (46) | 11 (52) | 12 (54) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 18 (64) | 14 (57) | 10 (50) | 8 (46) | 14 (57) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) | 3 (37) | 5 (41) | 5 (41) | 9 (48) | 11 (52) | 14 (57) | 13 (55) | 11 (52) | 7 (45) | 5 (41) | 3 (37) | 7 (45) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) | 15 (0.6) | 15 (0.6) | 23 (0.9) | 23 (0.9) | 15 (0.6) | 18 (0.7) | 25 (1) | 36 (1.4) | 33 (1.3) | 18 (0.7) | 46 (1.8) | 300 (12) |
| Source: Weatherbase[39] | |||||||||||||
The layout of the main towns is one of Victorian streets interspersed with apartment blocks, including a fewtower blocks with otherwise housing in the district formed oflow-rise apartments, semi-detached, terraced or (less often) detached homes with typically smallholdings or small gardens.
The number oflisted buildings in the district exceeds 200. This includes 18 churches listed in the highest grading in the national listing system (Grade I). Three castles or their bailey towers survive from the medieval period.
An examples at Grade I isDavison's Mill, a large windmill set by a green rolling lawn.
In economic terms, Folkestone and Hythe is the third most deprived area in Kent, afterThanet andSwale. Like them, it has a high rate of unemployment; poor educational attainment figures; and with the majority of businesses being small operations.[40] The major source of economy is, however,tourism. Events and venues are widely publicised.[41][42]
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC South East andITV Meridian (East) broadcasting from the mainDover transmitter and some associated relays.[43]
Local radio stations are:
TheM20 crosses the north of the District to end atFolkestone, carrying traffic fromLondon,M25 andMaidstone to the district.
Also following the M20 is theA20 which goes by nearby villages in the district. The A20 also continues ontoDover.
TheA259 south coast road starts at Folkestone via Hythe, Kent and Romney Marsh in the district toRye, East Sussex,Hastings,Bexhill-on-Sea,Eastbourne,Brighton,Worthing,Littlehampton,Bognor Regis andChichester toEmsworth nearPortsmouth.
TheA260 leaves Folkestone to theA2 forCanterbury.
TheA2070 links theRomney Marsh toAshford and the M20.
Stagecoach South East operate all local buses in the district to Dover, Canterbury, Hastings, Maidstone and Ashford. Stagecoach also run coach route 021 to London from the district on behalf ofNational Express.
TheSouth Eastern Main Line andHigh Speed 1 both cross the district. Domestic trains are provided bySoutheastern and serve the stations ofWestenhanger,Sandling,Folkestone West andFolkestone Central in the district. Trains go toLondon Charing Cross viaAshford International andTonbridge to the west andRamsgate viaDover Priory to the east.
The western end of theChannel Tunnel is atCheriton, just west of Folkestone and trains that carry cars are provided byEurotunnel. The tunnel is accessed by the M20 and the A20.Eurostar also use the tunnel but its nearest station to the district is next door inAshford at Ashford International.
There are no longer cross channel ferry services in the district and these are now concentrated at thePort of Dover..
TheRoyal Military Canal starts atSeabrook, near the sea atSandgate, and runs through Hythe town centre and the northern edge of the Romney Marsh.
TheRomney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is alight railway that operates over almost 14 miles fromHythe toDungeness viaDymchurch,New Romney, and some smaller intermediate stations.
Severallong distance footpaths cross the District, including theSaxon Shore Way and theNorth Downs Way; shorter walks include the "Elham Valley Walk" and the "Royal Military Canal Path".
Lydd Airport is also in this district which handles small passenger flights toLe Touquet inFrance and Cargo flights toOstend,Belgium. The Airport is served by routes 11 and 101.
The whole district is divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Folkestone, Hawkinge, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[44]
51°4′43.86″N1°10′28.61″E / 51.0788500°N 1.1746139°E /51.0788500; 1.1746139
