Tim Prater Reporting Back from KCC: January 2026

23 Jan 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

Finally - sign up on the form at the bottom of https://www.fhld.uk/news/prater to receive monthly Councillor Updates from me and the Lib Dem team in Folkestone & Hythe. It's fast and free! This will sign you up only to local news from the area, NOT campaigns and campaigning events.

January 2025 Action List

Happy New Year!

I was 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 went to KCC GET Cabinet Committee on Tuesday 13th January https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=831&MId=9744 and asked the committee to agree the recommendation to “Confirm that the Council will progress with open market disposal of the Grace Hill building.”

You can see the webcast of that meeting at https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1048390/start_time/5028000

The documents recommending disposal are at https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=69529#mgDocuments

The committee endorsed the proposal to send the billing to auction, despite all Lib Dem, Green, Conservative and Labour members voting against.

I'm amazed that Reform Folkestone and Hythe County Councillors, who campaigned on a platform of reopening Grace Hill did not speak against selling the building. I spoke against (as, notably did Alastair Brady from Labour) and voted against. They should have spoken against too, aswas their right as a local Councillor.

As a member of that committee I asked 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 included:

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 pushed pursuing a strategy of a temporary library and supporting a community bid to reopen a permanent home at Grace Hill in the future. Although it seems Kent County Council refuses to do this, I'm not giving up.

Later in the month I took a proposal to Folkestone Town Council to step in and take on the building to give that space. I'm delighted to say that, unanimously, Folkestone Town Council agreed to that proposal. Now we'll see if Kent accept that offer.

Ironically the committee that this decision went 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. It's only due to the merger that I was in the room at all for that meeting, 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. Remarkably another pipe burst near The Undercliff on the 9th (yes, Storm Goretti day) and they got that fixed within the working day too. I spent much of the day trying to ensure the water pouring down the road went into a drain, with fair success…

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, and installation started on Monday 12th

Storm Goretti hit Sandgate (indeed the coast between Folkestone and Hythe, but especially Sandgate) on the morning of Friday 9th January. Weather forecasts did not suggest that the weather would be particularly bad in Kent, despite weather warnings elsewhere in the country - windy certainly, but nothing we don't see a number of times a year. The forecasts were not right: Goretti produced the worst damage we've seen in Sandgate for over 20 years, flooding The Esplanade, floating vehicles across the road, devastating street furniture, destroying (and in 2 cases removing without trace!) beach huts, throwing multi-ton rocks about and destroying the Mermaid Beach breakwater.

I link to a few of the updates I was putting out at the time on Facebook below but especially I want to say thank you to the teams from Kent Highways and Folkestone & Hythe District Council (including contractors and partners including Chunnel and Marsh Groundworks) that were on site within hours and worked like fury to clear up.

The Esplanade was reopened by late afternoon on Saturday 10th, and Granville Parade road cleared of shingle in that time too. Although other recovery works remain ongoing, the scale and speed of response was excellent.

Reported an appalling reinstatement of paving slabs outside The Ship on Sandgate High Street by UK Power Networks following essential cable works. Delighted to say that after just three return visits of a crew after my report, the slabs are now pretty level.

On a similar note, followed up on reports of various poor resurfacing works in Sandgate (Chichester Road) and Hythe (North Road). Result in both instances is the same: Kent Highways have returned to site, and there are additional works now programmed. In the case of Chichester Road, Sandgate, that led to:

Urgent Road Closure - Chichester Road, Sandgate

It will be necessary to close Chichester Road, Sandgate from 22nd January 2026 for up to 5 days.

The road will be closed at along the whole length. There is no alternative route. Every effort will be made to maintain access for residents whenever it is safe to do so.

It is planned that the road will be closed between 08:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs each day.

This is to enable carriageway resurfacing to be carried out by Kent County Council.

That's a LOT of reinstatement works. Good.

Oh - and another dangerous pothole reported in West Road on Wednesday 21st at 8.30pm, and patched by Kent Highways before 11am the following day. Thanks to Clive, James and the team - locally there IS really good work out there.

News of Interest:

Energy bill support extended for millions of families - Warm Home Discount has been extended so eligible households will receive the £150 energy bill discount until 2030/2031.

For more information: GOV.UK

Nearly half of parents are nervous about SEND system changes, poll reveals – Many parents fear that their child’s support or legal protections could be reduced. The charity Sense is urging the Government to properly fund and safeguard the system, while ministers say the reforms aim to restore trust and improve support nationally.

For more information: Local Gov

Massive overhaul of England and Wales policing announced – The UK government has announced a major overhaul of policing, creating a new National Police Service to tackle complex crime and introducing the largest-ever rollout of facial recognition technology. The reforms also propose merging many local forces, expanding AI use in policing, and giving the home secretary greater powers over chief constables.

For more information: BBC News / GOV.UK

Millions in water company fines to power local-led restoration - The government is reinvesting £29 million from water company fines into more than 100 community‑led projects to restore rivers, improve habitats and boost water quality across England. This forms part of a wider Water White Paper overhaul, giving local groups more influence and prioritising prevention of pollution over cleanup.

For further information: GOV.UK

Twenty-nine English councils to delay elections – This includes East and West Sussex County Council, who are having their elections cancelled for a second year in a row. The full list can be found within the article.

For further information: BBC News

Adult social care Fair Pay Agreement is ‘unworkable’ without proper funding and local government involvement, LGA says - For further information: LGA

The Care Quality Commission has published ratings for several care homes in Kent:

Avondale House, a mental health residential care service in Westgate-on-Sea, has had its rating upgraded from good to outstanding following an inspection that finished in November 2025.

The Vale Residential Care Home in Maidstone has been rated inadequate and placed into special measures following an inspection in October.

The White House care home in Chatham has been rated as inadequate for a third time and remains in special measures to protect people following an inspection in December.

Demelza, Hospice Care for Children in Kent has been rated as outstanding for a second time following an inspection in May.

Operation Ford and policing crime against elected members - The LGA has published a new guide on Operation Ford, a new policing provision aiming to protect local councillors and other locally elected representatives.

For further information: LGA

Trusts declare critical incidents over high demand - NHS hospital trusts in south‑east England have declared critical incidents due to extreme pressure on services caused by rising flu and norovirus cases, staff sickness, winter illnesses, and full hospitals.

For further information: BBC News

A new interactive map shows how well local authorities are tackling potholes [Kent: Amber] - The government has published a map showing red, amber or green ratings for 154 local highway authorities across England. The ratings are based on current road condition, how effectively the government’s pothole fund is being spent in the authority’s area, and how well best practice in maintaining highways is being followed. The map aims to drive improved performance.

For further information: GOV.UK

KCC Draft Budget – 2026 – 2029 Member Finance Dashboards / Member SharePoint - Finance and Budget

Water firm flying blind before crisis - South East Water were unprepared for a crisis that left 24,000 homes in Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Eridge and Frant without water for days. A regulator said the company lacked proper monitoring, while its CEO admitted failure and pledged improvements amid calls for his resignation.

For further information: BBC Kent

New local powers to keep pavements clear for those who rely on them most - Local councils in England will soon have new powers to restrict pavement parking, aiming to keep pavements clear for parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users, and people with sight loss. This locally led approach will allow councils to tackle problem areas more easily, improving safety and accessibility while maintaining flexibility where pavement parking is acceptable.

For further information: GOV.UK

Kent County Council Press Releases in January:

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kent-county-council-partners-with-capita-to-enhance-contact-centre-services-for-residents

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.