// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Mid Kent a good place? Mid-ly so.
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Mid Kent | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
_Town_Centre,_High_Street,_February_2012_Snow.jpg) | |
 | |
 Interactive map | |
| Coordinates: 51°08′47″N 0°52′03″E / 51.1465°N 0.8676°E | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Mid Kent Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 506 sq mi (1,311 km2) |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 411,726 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
Mid Kent is expected to be a unitary authority area that was scheduled to be created in Kent, England, as part of ongoing local government reform. The largest settlement will be Ashford.
It will be formed from three two-tier districts: Ashford, Folkestone and Hythe, and Swale.[1][2] It will border the three other Kent unitary districts: North Kent, West Kent and East Kent.
The area has a 2024 estimated population of 411,726.[3]
Plans to create it were halted in September 2026 and the first election was cancelled.
History
[edit]Mid Kent was first formed by proposals brought by Kent district councils as part of structural changes to local government in England which began in 2024. Prior to the local government reform, most of Kent had a two-tier system where Kent County Council and would provide local services. Following the 2024 Devolution White Paper, the ruling Labour Party announced that the government would seek to establish unitary authorities in the remaining two-tier areas including Kent.[4]
In February 2025, the government wrote to the local authorities in Kent asking them to submit proposals for two-tier areas under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.[5] Mid Kent was included in Options 4b, 4d and 5a. Option 4b was supported by Swale District Council, and Option 4d, which had modified boundaries, was supported by Ashford Borough Council. Folkestone and Hythe District Council supported an option which would have seen it and Ashford become part of East Kent. Kent County Council supported a single-unitary option. Option 4b was selected by the government in July 2026.[6][7]
In September 2026, the Kent proposals were halted by the government and placed under review.[8]
Governance
[edit]It will be run by Mid Kent Council, which will comprise 60 councillors.[9] The first councillors were planned to be elected in May 2027, and the new authority was planned to assume full powers in April 2028. The 2027 election was cancelled in September 2026.[8]
Parishes
[edit]Ashford, Sittingbourne and Milton and the Halfway Houses area are currently unparished, the rest of the area is parished.[10] In August 2026 the council approved proposals for the creation of a parish council for Halfway, and four parish councils in the Sittingbourne area, for Murston, Kemsley, Milton Regis and Grove Park.[11]
References
[edit]- ↑ O'Hanlon, Séamus (25 March 2026). "Statement UIN HCWS286". UK Parliament. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation in Kent and Medway". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
Text in this article is derived from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright. - ↑ "Option 4B" (PDF). Kent Council Leaders. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "English Devolution White Paper". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Letter: Kent and Medway". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation: decision letters to council leaders". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation in Kent and Medway". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 March 2026. Text in this article is derived from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
- 1 2 "Plans for major overhaul of councils halted". BBC News. 7 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation: implementation letter to Kent and Medway chief executives" (PDF). Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
- ↑ "News - Changes to Swale's town and parish councils". Swale Borough Council. 10 August 2026.
