Tim Prater Reporting Back from KCC: January 2026
As a Councillor I try to be properly responsive to communication and WILL reply to casework, questions etc (as long as they are polite!). Although voicemail, Messenger, WhatsApp and the rest I try to keep on top of, the best will be to email to me, preferably to tim@prater.uk from where I can send it to the correct one of my 5 Councillor email accounts for action!
If you haven't had a reply back from me in a couple of WORKING days please come back to me (the person that emailed me New Years Day with a casework peeve some years ago did get a reply that day, but my Christmas holidays have improved since!). Certainly if you've had no reply at all in 4 working days, please do check the address you sent it to and re contact me - that's not the way I roll, so something may have gone awry. Finally, although I answer to Mr Prater, Cllr and a few other names, I'd much prefer Tim!
I am planning to ensure an update from me goes through (almost) all doors in the division 3 times a year, but you can also find more regular updates from me online at http://www.prater.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/timprater
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January 2025 Action List
Happy New Year!
I am appalled that Kent County Council's Reform administration has confirmed they plan to sell the Grace Hill Library building rather than pursuing a community scheme to work to bring library services back there. The report going to KCC committee next Tuesday https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=831&MId=9744 asks the committee to agree the recommendation to "Confirm that the Council will progress with open market disposal of the Grace Hill building."
The documents recommending disposal are at https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=69529#mgDocuments
I'm amazed that Reform Folkestone and Hythe County Councillors, who campaigned on a platform of reopening Grace Hill can possibly support that. I can't see any way I can support it.
As a member of that committee I will be asking a LOT of questions on the decision, the process, and the underlying assumptions on Tuesday. There are statements in the report used to make the decision that seem just not to be true. Some of my questions include:
My understanding from those who have been in the building is that the library is broadly useable at ground floor, right now (good clean and tidy certainly, but safe). Why aren’t they? What are their costings, and how have they been independently validated?
How can you beg an organisation for a third party bid, then dismiss it when it’s the only one submitted?
Do they not understand the lack of detail is some areas was this would be a partnership bid, and those could be agreed by partners in running, with a simple agreement?
What value is there is a building that had precisely no bids to buy it in that ACV process? If its going to be sold, what is the reserve, and what would be the conditions?
Who took the decision to dispose of The Cube lease, and then take a 15 year lease on Sandgate Road which will cost seemingly around £2m over that term (double that of The Cube), plus full fit out costs? Why is Sandgate Road, with no parking or short walking access in the daytime a better option than The Cube which has both of those things?
Why cannot they take the approach of the “to 2030” option on Sandgate Road, but work with CF and others on seeing if in the next 2 years the community bid got support (specifically, capital lottery fund support!)? That allows both a library now, and a potential return to Grace Hill.
I'll be pushing to try and convince the Council to instead pursue a strategy of a temporary library and supporting a community bid to reopen a permanent home at Grace Hill in the future.
The committee that this decision is going to is the new “Growth, Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee”, formed from the merger of two other Cabinet Committees by Reform just before Christmas. Amusingly, the decision on libraries would previously have gone to the “Communities” committee I was not previously on: its only due to the merger that I'll be in the room at all on Tuesday, giving me the opportunity to stand up for Folkestone and Grace Hill. Small mercies…
I started the New Year with an email giving advanced notice of the Closure of Romney Avenue for Resurfacing for a few days from 18th March 2026. I've been pushing for the resurfacing of Romney Avenue for years - its great to see the commitment I was given to get Romney Avenue resurfaced this financial year is being held to.
A Radnor Cliff resident alerted me that the water across the road (which is due to water not going down a disconnected street drain) in Radnor Cliff had frozen solid and was a dangerous ice rink. Just over 2 months ago I was promised by Kent Highways the drain would be reconnected in 90 days - I've checked that promised fix is still planned, and it is.
I've been told the works needs to make the drain work again is planned for the beginning of February, and that should, hopefully, mean that water that goes down the drain not across the road. Meantime, Kent Highways also promised to send a steward to grit around the area as required to make the ice safe.
On 4th January afternoon a pipe burst on the footpath by The Undercliff, Sandgate, leading to water streaming down the hill, and freezing in the REALLY cold weather. A message to our local Highway Steward saw him on site checking it by Sunday evening, he gritted the area to make safe, and made contact with Affinity water to get them to fix the leak.
Credit where it's due: Affinity Water were on site by 9.30 on the 5th, digging by midday, freezing cold and wet in a hole by 2.20 and all fixed, resurfaced and back clear by 6.30.
The works needed to install the new Sandgate 20mph zone were delayed one week from their scheduled date of 5th January (the crew scheduled to do work on Monday / Tuesday was instead tasked to gritting, for understandable safety reasons). Happy to say it was quickly rescheduled though:
"New dates have been agreed for these works. New start date is 12th January 2026, with new estimated completion by 14th January 2026."
Weather forecast looks damp for then, but considerably warmer, so hopefully diversion of the crew to gritting should not be a thing…
News of Interest:
Kent County Council Press Releases in January:
Folkestone & Hythe District Council Press Releases in January:
https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/news/article/391/taking-a-look-at-our-financial-future
A monthly bulletin from F&HDC. This month: Council budget consultation, Cliff Work in Coastal Park, Youth Forum, Support for community, SWEP & Opportunities for new ventures in 2026.