Tim Prater Reporting Back from KCC: March 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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March 2026 Action List
3rd March was the date for the County Council Scrutiny Committee to consider my call-in (request to look at the legality and “safeness”) of their decision to sell off Folkestone's Grace Hill library building submitted in early February.
I had asked the Council to consider hearing 2 external speakers on this, but they ruled one out immediately and then didn't come back to me on the other until THE DAY BEFORE when they asked who that speaker would be - hopelessly too late, and making it impossible for Creative Folkestone to attend and explain first hand the conversations that had been had (or more, had not) around their submission in late October. However, I had written statements from Creative Folkestone, One Folkestone and Tony Vaughan MP, all of who have been hugely helpful, and aimed to reference those in my representation to the committee.
My premise was simple: I don't think the process had been fully followed, and the decision to dispose of the building at auction flew in the face of consultation feedback and “best value” for Folkestone. It's simple: we want the building removed from auction. This would either then KCC allow time for the Creative Folkestone / Community bid to rejuvenate the building, or get it to someone who can and give them a chance of success.
Despite making the case that there was clear, proven support for the retention of Grace Hill as a community building and library (and not, for example, sold to a housing developer), the 7 Reform members on the Scrutiny committee voted as one to take no further action on the Cabinet Member decision, and not even suggest to him that it could be protected by covenant for community use.
In doing so, they not only rejected my case, but the written request of John Baker - the Reform Councillor for Folkestone West division which includes the library.
Having been told to keep it as short as possible (the Chair said I would not be limited to 5 minutes, which was nice as I had hundreds of pages of material, including statements from Creative Folkestone, One Folkestone and Tony Vaughan MP about the lack of engagement with the CF proposal to rejuvenate the building) I got maybe 10 minutes up front, a few interventions to correct some errors of understanding, and to speak last.
However, Alaster Brady, Sarah Hudson, Antony Hook and Mark Hood (Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and Green respectively) and spoke for the library, questioned the decision and voted for it to be reconsidered (the Chair Richard Streatfeild was impartial and balanced during the debate, and then also voted for it to be reconsidered). Sadly they were outnumbered 7-5.
The part of the decision I was calling into question, and seeking changes on was "Confirm that the Council will progress with open market disposal of the Grace Hill building." - sending it to auction without covenant for community use puts it at huge risk of being bought by a developer who simply site on the building for years and let it rot. I can offer examples of exactly that happening across Kent, even in Folkestone (naming no names, but follow my eyes).
The fight continues to try and protect it, and keep it in the ownership of the community, but sadly 7 people not from Folkestone closed the door on KCC being part of that solution - they want it sold as soon as they possibly can, for as much as they can possibly get.
And the disgrace of this is that the reason the library closed in the first place is years of lack of investment in maintenance and good house keeping of the building. KCC caused this problem. Not only did they crash the car, they'd now like the Police to pay for taking away the remains of their vehicle.
The agenda for Growth, Environment & Transport Cabinet Committee, Tuesday, 10th March, 2026, has been published, and includes a paper confirming that the works on the Folkestone Road of Remembrance will go ahead, as the risk of not doing so is too high:
“Expert technical advice has concluded that there is a high risk of cliff instability and further potentially large-scale collapses, particularly in respect of the overhanging top of the cliff, but also weakness lower down the cliff caused by saturation. Legal advice has concluded that KCC will likely be held liable by the courts in respect of any claim for damage or injury that occurs as a result of any further collapse, and that there is a theoretical risk of corporate manslaughter prosecution.”
I sit on that committee and will be delighted to welcome the report, albeit they should have committed to and got on with this work two years ago. I'm delighted they have the legal opinion that they have to do the works: many of us have been saying that for some time. Its good that the County Council has finally got there. It was always their responsibility. The legal opinion underlines that.
News of Interest:
Kent County Council Press Releases in March:
https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/public-health-leaders-urge-catch-up-on-childhood-vaccinations
https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/secondary-school-offer-day-2026
Folkestone & Hythe District Council Press Releases in March:
A monthly bulletin from F&HDC. This month: Council's balanced budget, New affordable homes, Local Government Reorganisation, Lower Leas Play Area, More Rail Freight, Town of Culture 2028 bid, High Streets Connect and Grow Rural, Good Food Retail Project, FABF Update & Economic Strategy.