Folkestone & Hythe District Council Monthly Briefing: July 2025

Corporate Plan

Full council met on Wednesday 25 June and agreed the district council’s Corporate Plan for 2025 to 2030. 

Our district, our world sets out the vision and direction for the council and its sign-off follows one of the largest public consultations undertaken by the council in recent years.

Town and parish councils were among those who took part in the consultation along with residents and businesses across the district who responded through focus groups, online and paper-based surveys and one to one interviews.

The plan focuses on five themes:

• A well-run, listening council that works closely with its partners.
• Improving people’s health, wellbeing and sense of community.
• Building new homes, improving the quality of existing homes and tackling homelessness.
• Growing the economy in a sustainable way and creating opportunities for all.
• Enhancing our local environment and supporting climate action.

Each of the themes has a list of actions and progress will be regularly monitored through an action plan.

The corporate plan is available on the council website. 

Folkestone – A Brighter Future

Work is continuing at pace along Foresters Way and Shellons Street with the construction of new footpaths, kerbs and drainage systems.

Jacksons have begun to infill the subways at Middelburg Square and will carry out UK Power Network and BT Openreach diversion works in these areas. They have also started the works of a new footway along Middelburg Square North.

The Radnor Park roundabout is now controlled by a four-way traffic light system to allow the infill of the roundabout islands and the construction of vital footways and drainage. This traffic management system will be in place until the end of October. 

Full details of the project progress are available in the monthly project newsletter from our contractor. The next one of which will be sent round shortly.

https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/folkestone-place-plan/project-progress

Summer litter campaign

Council teams are busy working on keeping the district clean and tidy for residents and for visitors coming to enjoy the coastline.

Five new compactor bins in hotspot locations – as well as more litter crews, enhanced equipment and additional signage – are due to be in place during July and August.

Following the positive impact of the first, a second e-bike collection vehicle is being used to help with the regular emptying of bins.

These electric-powered engines ensure zero emissions – making it an environmentally-friendly alternative that allows crews to access areas where larger vehicles cannot.

Visit from Kent County Councillors

The newly elected county councillors for our district were invited to visit several of the key projects the district council is undertaking.

They went to Otterpool Park and discussed the proposed new garden town and the current collaboration work with Homes England.

Councillors also saw the progress of the Brighter Future work in Folkestone town centre and stopped at Folca to discuss the future options being explored for the former store.

They finished the afternoon at the Folkestone Sports Centre talking to representatives from The Sports Trust. 

Volunteer recognition

The council was pleased to recognise the huge contribution that volunteers make in our Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh communities.

The Excellence in Volunteering Awards saw many receiving awards at a presentation held at Hawkinge Community Centre on 5 June.

This is the second year that Kent Coast Volunteering has run the event on behalf of the council.

Dog PSPO

A consultation on the proposed changes to the Dog Control Public Spaces Protection Order finished on 25 June and more than 100 responses were received.

Proposed changes, prompted by complaints from residents about dog fouling and dogs being out of control, included extending the areas where pets should be kept on leads.

The responses are due to be reported to a meeting of the council’s Cabinet on 16 July.

A successful dog-focussed event was organised in early June by council teams together with Folkestone RSPCA . The Paws for Thought day in Radnor Park was aimed at promoting pet-friendly advice along with the fun element of a dog show.

Celebrating the Folkestone & Hythe district

Three new visitor maps have been created promoting the great places that Folkestone, Hythe and the Romney Marsh have to offer.

They are being distributed through the district’s Tourism Board and can be downloaded from the revamped FH visitor website .

An information panel has been put up on Folkestone East Cliff (near the sports area) as part of a joint project by the council with Kent Downs National Landscape.

It tells the story of the megaflood which divided the UK from mainland Europe 450,000 years ago and how the event was confirmed during the construction of the Channel Tunnel.

Another information panel is in place at Farthing Common.

Consultations

The Gambling Act 2005 requires the council, in its role as the local licensing authority, to prepare a Statement of Principles related to the exercise of its licensing functions. 

This must be reviewed every three years. The current statement ends this year and has been reviewed and updated to cover the next three-year period to 2028.

The draft version of the 2025-2028 Statement of Principles is currently out for consultation. Comments are invited via email to licensing@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk before 4pm on Monday 11 August 2025.

Kent County Council has launched a consultation on the draft Adult Social Care Prevention Framework. The aim of the proposed framework is to help people to maintain healthy, fulfilled and independent lives for as long as possible.  

The consultation closes on Monday, July 14, 2025. More information via this link https://letstalk.kent.gov.uk/prevention-framework