In Praise of Damian Collins on Equal Marriage
I don't often feel the need to say this, but actively quite proud of Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins today for having supported Equal Marriage in Parliament last night.
Tim has lived and worked in Sandgate (on Sandgate High Street) since 2004.
A trustee of the Sandgate Heritage Trust, Secretary of the Sandgate Members Club, Treasurer and Trustee of the Chichester Memorial Hall, former Trustee of the Gurkha Memorial Fund and former Governor of St Martin's School, and current Sandgate Speedwatch volunteer, Tim knows and works for the area!
Tim is honoured and delighted to have been elected as:
In May 2025 Tim won the Kent County Council seat from the Conservatives. He was the only non-Reform Councillor elected that day anywhere in Folkestone & Hythe, Dover & Deal, Ashford or Thanet.
In May 2023 Tim was re-elected to all the above town and district seats for four more years. At the District Council AGM on 24th May 2023, he became Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Governance.
Previously, Tim has served on Folkestone Town Councillor for Cheriton from 2006-2011, and Shepway District Councillor for Cheriton from 2007-2011, Kent County Councillor for Folkestone West from 2009-2013. He has sat on Sandgate Parish Council for Sandgate Village since 2011, was the Vice Chair of Sandgate Parish Council from 2018-2020 and Chair from 2020 to date.
Contact Tim by email to tim@prater.uk, call 07956 276118 or write to 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY. As a District Councillor he runs monthly surgeries at the 1st Sandgate Farmers and Makers Market of every month at the Chichester Hall, 70 Sandgate High Street from 11am-12.30pm (and has each month since election in 2019). No appointment needed: just turn up.
I don't often feel the need to say this, but actively quite proud of Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins today for having supported Equal Marriage in Parliament last night.
During January there has been only 1 reported incident of crime in the ward. A pedal cycle was stolen from outside Churchill House. I would remind anyone with a bike to use a good quality lock and secure the bike properly when not being used.
A number of Sandgate residents will have noticed over the Christmas period that the streetlight decorations were having more than their fair share of "issues". After the first day of lighting, there was rarely a day they were all on, and on a number of days, very few were lit at all.
Kent County Council are consulting on a proposal to transfer the management and running of Sandgate Library to Sandgate parish Council from this summer.
Bus stops across Folkestone West have had a make-over in the last few years.
The footpath from Caesar's Way is part of an off-road route from Cheriton to Junction 13 of the M20. But much of the path was muddy and overgrown and hard to use.
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Tim's Council Record of Service
Council | Seat | Dates | Years |
Kent County Council | Folkestone West | 2009-2013 | 4 |
Kent County Council | Cheriton, Sandgate and Hythe East | 2025- | |
Shepway District Council | Cheriton | 2007-2011 | 4 |
Folkestone and Hythe District Council | Sandgate & West Folkestone | 2019- | 6 |
Sandgate Parish Council | Sandgate Village | 2011- | 14 |
Folkestone Town Council | Cheriton | 2006-2011 | 5 |
Folkestone Town Council | Folkestone Harvey West | 2019- | 6 |
Hythe Town Council | Hythe East | 2019- | 6 |
45 |