Tim Prater Reporting Back from KCC: November 2025

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.

November 2025 Action List

Remembrance weekend is always a bit special. I'll be (as I have for the past decade) at St Pauls Church in Sandgate at 10am on Remembrance Sunday for the annual Service, then at 10.55am at the Sandgate War Memorial for the Act of Remembrance there.

This year I have received invitations to the simultaneous Remembrance services at Saltwood, Hythe and Folkestone as well as Sandgate: apologies to all those I could not make! I will also attend the Machine Gun Corps service in Cheriton Road Cemetery on 11th November itself. All services are open to all: it you can please do come along, and remember them.

The first week of November was a busy one, with a Cabinet Committee & Full Council meeting in Maidstone.

Environment and Transport Committee

Items included:

Southern Water Presentation (Southern Water telling us they know its broken, but they are trying to fix it, but it will take years https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1024912/start_time/2212000?force_language_code=en_GB and https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1024912/start_time/2403000?force_language_code=en_GB)
Briefing on Waste (Recycling is much cheaper for taxpayers than dealing with residual waste, which Kent burns. Burning waste will become more expensive soon, due to a new tax on doing so. Kent now recycled mess than the average for South East England authorities, having been about the same 6 years ago https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1024912/start_time/9177000?force_language_code=en_GB )
Briefing on Green Finance (We should go and have a look to see if any of these ideas might work in Kent. Agreed.)
Water Supply and Sustainability Report (We should have one. Agreed.)
Highways Emergency Tree Works Contract (There are currently contracts in place for emergency tree works for trees on the Highway etc in Kent, the contract expires in the next year or so and we should have new contracts. After some discussion on the areas to be covered, agreed.).
Procurement for the Receipt and Processing of Wood Waste Contract Countywide (mainly wood from recycling centres)
Energy Efficiency Plan (named by one colleague as the "I can't believe this isn't the Net Zero Plan". On questioning we couldn't identify a single scheme of current piece of work commissioned under the previous Net Zero plan that this would stop. The report also made it clear that Net Zero schemes had to date saved Kent County Council many millions of pounds to date https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1024912/start_time/207000 . The £7.5m "efficiency" claimed on not replacing vehicles with electric vehicles rather fell apart when that was shown as the total cost of fleet replacement, so even if you don't replace them with electric, you'll need almost all of that budget to replace them with something, or much higher annual costs to keep knackered vehicles on the road).

After an update on Highways works, I thanked the Cabinet Member for recent resurfacing works in The Undercliff, Sandgate which were great as far as they went (and include a section of surface reinforcement where the road was becoming a “falling down the hill” hazard, so essential) but asked why they stopped one metre short of a clear and obvious pothole which they have now marked up to come back to. https://kent.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1024912/start_time/5833000?force_language_code=en_GB

An unfilled pothole directly at the edge of a refreshly resurfaced section of road in The Undercliff, Sandgate

Although I understand it's essential to specify jobs carefully, by leaving work like this it costs more to come back than it would have done to complete the job in the first place… [Update end November - they did come back and patch that pothole, and one above it, but then left the trench between the two untouched. Sigh].

On the 6th November there as a Full County Council meeting. I asked a question of the Leader (highlighting the failure a week earlier of the administration to send a relevant Cabinet Member to answer questions on the annual audit at the Governance and Audit Committee of 30th October). I spoke on the lack of detailed scrutiny of the “Reforming Kent” paper proposed by the Reform administration, and against the frankly bizarre proposal of the administration to support a single authority for Kent to replace all 12 existing districts, Medway Unitary and Kent County Council itself.

https://www.fhld.uk/news/article/local-government-reorganisation-in-itself-is-a-time-consuming-expensive-and-futile-waste-of-all-our-time

On 10th November, there was a Joint Transport Board (JTB) meeting online updating on the progress on various schemes (and the forward work programme still shows the resurfacing of Romney Avenue planned to commence 18/3/25).

I've chased various casework including:

Taylor Wimpey construction traffic using Hospital Hill in violation of an agreed route out via Pond Hill Road to the M20);
Making the Beachborough Road / Cherry Garden Lights safer;
The installation of the Sandgate 20 Mph zone (now programmed overnight for 5th January 2026 - Happy New Year Sandgate);
Over running roadworks in Horn Street, Seabrook (OK - UK Power Networks just seemed to leave traffic lights that were not needed there all weekend);
Rationalising some really odd “dog-bones” in Dover Road, Folkestone (well outside my division, but I was asked!) where the gap between restrictions was about 1m - too short to park!;
Putting in double yellow lines in The Undercliff in line with the restrictions agreed;
Getting a consultation on a ban on overnight motorhome parking on The Esplanade, Sandgate High Street and Granville Parade (which is now live).

A couple of other items of interest:

If you / a neighbour / family member has community equipment in your home that was supplied by NRS Healthcare before 1 August 2025 then please contact Medequip, who is now the provider of the Kent Community Equipment Service, to arrange for a visit to have your equipment serviced or repaired to make sure it stays safe and in good working order.

And finally, news of Kent County Council freshly painting “School Keep Clear” signs outside Halfway Houses Primary School on the Isle of Sheppey, despite it closing in October 2016,

News of Interest:

The government has announced that the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is to be abolished - The government reports that public awareness and engagement with the office is very low, reflected in poor turnout at PCC elections and the fact that two in five people are unaware the office exists. It states that removing the PCC will generate at least £20 million in efficiency savings, which will be reinvested into frontline policing. The PCC’s responsibilities will be transferred to either an elected mayor or a Police and Crime Board.

Further information can be found here: Gov.UK / Kent PCC Matthew Scott’s response / LGA statement

Government urged to act 'swiftly' on illegal meat imports at the Port of Dover - MPs are urging the UK government to act quickly to improve Dover’s facilities and stop illegal meat imports, which pose serious biosecurity and economic risks. Despite record seizures, critics warn that planned measures may not be in place until 2027, leaving the system vulnerable.

For further information (warning, don’t open these articles whilst eating!): BBC News / Dover Port Health Authority

Dame Annie Hudson to lead review of Social Work England - An independent review into the operations of Social Work England has been launched to ensure that social workers are properly supporting vulnerable people.

For further information: Gov.UK

New 'talking signs' help Folkestone prepare for flash flooding - The Environment Agency and Kent County Council partner with Hello Lamp Post to launch interactive signs raising awareness of Folkestone's flash flood risk.

For further information: Gov.UK

Kent County Council Press Releases in November:

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kent-county-council-submits-proposal-for-single-unitary-authority

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/2025-dementia-friendly-kent-awards-launched-to-celebrate-local-heroes

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kent-county-council-signs-50m-a-year-highways-contract-to-keep-kent-moving

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/kcc-confirms-members-on-the-kent-and-medway-fire-and-rescue-authority

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/national-safeguarding-adults-awareness-week-2025

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/make-the-most-of-sexual-health-support-as-emergency-contraception-roll-out-welcomed

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/necessary-but-difficult-decisions-needed-to-address-overspend

https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/major-counterfeiting-operation-dismantled-in-dartford-goods-destroyed,-cash-forfeited

Folkestone & Hythe District Council Press Releases in November:

https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/news/article/385/councils-send-proposals-for-new-councils-to-ministers