CT5 Socials
Voice for Whitstable
Whitstable Town Council
Update on the campaign for a Town Council by Chris Stanley
Chair of the CT5 People's Forum Town Council group
I'd like to start by thanking everyone who signed our petition and contributed to the City Council's Community Governance Review (CGR) which has now come to an end.
Our petition was successful in reaching the legal threshold to trigger the CGR. At that point, the City Council closed the petition to new signatures. Such was the level of support when we talked to people about the campaign that it was clear that we could have got many more signatures.
Sadly, following consultation with a limited number of local people, the City Council has decided not to proceed with forming a Town Council, despite a majority of respondents in Tankerton and Gorrell wards wanting one. A viable Town Council could have been formed with these two wards.
We are highly critical of the way the CGR and both stages of the consultation were conducted by the City Council and submitted a detailed critque to them.
This critique is reproduced here:
An encouraging development is the new Labour Government's proposal for devolution to improve the way democracy is brought closer to the people (as mentioned in the King's Speech). We will have to wait for the legislation but it is widely speculated that unitary authorities would become more the norm, possibly replacing Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council. If this happens, even City Councillors sceptical of our Town Council proposal have said they would support the Town Council idea for us.
As Chair of the Town Council group, I am personally disappointed that the City Council did not choose to support our proposal. We do not know why the Council's leadership was against it. Every rural area of the District is parished: there are 27 Parish Councils, so why not Whitstable?
The CT5 Town Council group has worked tirelessly on the campaign, talking to individuals and groups, writing and distributing information and studying other town councils. Our only aim has been to improve things for our community. In our research we looked at town councils in Kent and many other parts of the country. This convinced us that a Town Council would bring enormous benefits to the town at very little cost and remain convinced of the benefits of a Town Council for CT5. For the time being, however, we will continue to work for greater democracy in CT5 and for sustained and reliable support for local groups working to improve the lives of local people. It is in our nature to do so.
Chris Stanley, Chair Town Council Group, October 2024
Why we still believe in a Town Council
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Whitstable is a great place to live and work. Our town is unique and many people work hard in support, but it often feels that we are overshadowed by Canterbury City and our own personality gets lost in the big picture. We have very different needs to the City and the town could be a whole lot better if it had the ability to care for itself.
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Whitstable is in a minority. Outside the Canterbury City Council district every urban area in East Kent has one, apart from Margate (where a plan to create one is currently under consideration).
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What voice we have now could be lost, as there is the real possibility that in the future Canterbury City Council will be subsumed into an even larger “unitary” authority, the preferred route in central government.
We need a voice for Whitstable.
We are losing out - See what other towns that have councils have achieved
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Town councils can access funding that CCC and Kent County Council cannot.
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Currently there is no Whitstable community organisation with which CCC is legally obliged to consult on planning matters, including new developments. A Town Council would have to be consulted.
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It could add value to the hard work of CCC councillors.
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So many great things already happen in our town through the amazing efforts of local groups and individuals. A Town Council could bring these efforts together and help bid for more funding.
Whitstable Town Council could:
Represent the needs of our diverse community
Help to administer day to day life in our town
Improve the quality of life for all who live, work and visit our town
How it will be set up
The nationally established procedure is shown below
Stage One
A petition in support of a Town Council, needs to be signed by 7.5% of the electorate.
Stage Two
Within twelve months of receipt of the petition Canterbury City Council are obliged to undertake a community governance review.
Stage Three
If the community governance review concludes support for a Town Council, Canterbury City Council execute a reorganisation order to set the Town Council up.
Stages 4 & 5 will then be reviewed, but may be:
Stage Four - this is an enabling period, giving some time to allow the actual Town Council to form.
Stage Five - The members of the Town Council are then elected.
There will be a full Public Consultation at Key Stages through this process.
What could Whitstable Town Council do?
The initial responsibilities for a Town Council are determined during stage four, the enabling period. These would be determined through consultation with the City and County councils.
Here are some of the aims we believe should be considered during stage four:
Nurture the energy that exists in the town already. “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”. We have many fantastic, largely voluntary groups working hard for CT5. They need support, places to meet and capacity to co-ordinate.
Develop plans for economic development including tourism and sustainability that support the uniqueness of the town and the basic needs of its people.
Promote diverse home tenure in the town - so that all who live and work here can afford good quality housing and our streets are lived in during the week and in the winter.
Help those who may be left behind at the moment. Bringing youth work, support of the elderly and care and access for disabled people to the forefront.
Ensure that council tax and revenue generated by the town is spent locally and wisely.
Influence planning and licensing - A town council Town Council would be a statutory consultee, could instigate neighbourhood plans for parts of the town and be involved in supplementary planning advice.
Encourage Inward investment. - A Town Council would have the ability to apply for grants or loans (like the levelling up fund) for improvements in the town. It could create a lottery to support small local voluntary groups.
Promote use of local businesses - by locals and visitors, notably independent retail and hospitality.
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Promote culture. Co-ordinating festivals, fetes, themed events like nature weeks and our
already fantastic arts programme.
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Civic Pride. Encourage pride in our town so that locals and visitors alike show respect for our environment and the town is safe.
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Wellbeing. Promoting enjoyment of public spaces, particularly with regard to pollution and mental wellbeing.
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Provide a new community hub. A central place for the Town Council to meet and for people involved in the community to come together and to work with web-based communication to bring together community organisations.
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Develop strong relationships with other councils. By having strong links with the District and County Councils as well as other town and parish councils in the area.
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Traffic management. Promoting walking and cycling as well as use of clean public transport. Working with the City and Kent County Councils to manage traffic and parking in the town.
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Improving local facilities. Tree and other planting for biodiversity and shade and management of parks, open spaces, cemeteries, public toilets etc.
Questions & Answers
Below are answers to the most common questions regarding Town Councils.
If you need further information, please contact us
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What area would the council cover?This is a matter for the community governance review, but the petition suggested all of the currently unparished areas of the CT5 postcode: Gorrell, Seasalter, Swalecliffe and Tankerton wards, plus the currently unparished areas of Chestfield ward.
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What would Whitstable Town Council do?This will be agreed with Canterbury City Council during the enabling period and as the council is set up (stages four and five in the setting up process). Here are some examples of what other Town Councils in East Kent do at the moment: Make grants to local organisations. Westgate operate assets like recreation grounds and leisure/sports facilities. Folkestone run eight small parks and memorials. Broadstairs and St Peters handle sea front shelters and a bandstand. Sandwich’s Guildhall houses a museum, visitor information centre and a wedding/function venue. Folkestone, Dover, Deal, Sandwich and Ramsgate manage Visitor/Tourist Information Centres. Ramsgate and Faversham oversee their neighbourhood plans. More generally Town Councils can : Perform the role of statutory planning consultee. Run allotments. Provide funding for community groups and events. Most Town Councils own and operate a community hub (a Town Hall) for meetings. Provide public toilets. Run markets. Create local plans (tourism, economic, climate action, traffic, etc ). Maintain parks, gardens and planters. Clean streets and monuments.
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Why are the CT5 People's Forum promoting a Town Council?Whitstable is one of a few Towns in East Kent without a Council and there is the real risk that we will have little or no local representation if at some time Canterbury City Council is absorbed into a larger Unitary Authority. We also: Feel that our town is overshadowed by Canterbury City Council. Feel that we are seen as a successful place but always seem to be an afterthought in decision making. Need a voice. Recognise that most other Kent coastal towns have town councils. We want the same, we need the same. Recognise that the town is full of amazing groups of people doing amazing things; we want to make the most of their energy and enthusiasm, help them work together and provide a place where they can meet, learn and collaborate.
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How long will it take to get a Town Council?Here are our current thoughts on the possible times for the five stages: Stage One (Petition Complete) Stage Two (Community Governance Review, handled by Canterbury City Council) To be completed during 2024. Stage Three (Reorganisation order, handled by Canterbury City Council) On completion of stage two. Stage Four (Enabling period managed by Canterbury City Council) Starts after stage 3 with an aim to conclude by the local authority elections in 2025. Stage Five (Election of Town Councillors, handled by Canterbury City Council) Mid 2025
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How would a Town Council for Whitstable be funded?Local authorities and certain other local service providers have three main sources of funding: government grants; council tax; business rates. In England, the collection authorities for council tax are district councils, such as Canterbury City Council. Other authorities and service providers like Kent County Council, the Police and Fire service get paid from the council tax collected by Canterbury. This means that households only receive a single bill rather than multiple bills from the various service providers. The payment from your council tax to the various authorities and providers is called a precept. A Town Council would also be paid for from Council Tax collected by CCC in a similar way. For information, the current breakdown of council tax received by local service providers for households in a Band D council tax property in the Canterbury City Council area for 2023/24 are as follows: The amount of the precept for Whitstable Town Council would depend on things like the size of the Council and the range of services it would provide. For guidance, here are some examples of what is paid for Band D properties (2023-2024) for other Town Councils in East Kent. Ramsgate £82.260.64 raising £1,000,437960,700 for the year Faversham £82.800.39 raising £595,32253,132 for the year Broadstairs and St Peters £75.411.82 raising £739,280693,724 for the year Westgate on Ssea £73.801.82 raising £186,560655,580 for the year Folkestone £65.423.52 raising £952,97015,550 for the year The 25% single person household discount applies to the town or parish council precept as it does to the rest of council tax. Additionally, council tax support is available from Canterbury City Council. More information can be found here: https://www.canterbury.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/claim-council-tax-support
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What the potential downsides?Clearly the downsides need to be measured against the benefits a Town Council could bring, but the two most mentioned downsides are: 'Won't we just generate another layer of bureaucracy and politics?' Our research on other Town Councils has shown that few are Political with a capital 'P' although political parties are free to support candidates if they wish. A good example is Frome Town Council in Somerset where all members are elected as independents for Frome. So, although called town councils, good ones are really community councils, focussed entirely on the good of their local communities and achieving things for their town that higher level councils cannot. More information about Frome can be found here: https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk According to the National Association of Local Councils ‘Councillors are elected to represent the local community, so must either live or work in the council area. They note that “becoming a councillor is a rewarding experience as you will be able to make a change in your community to help improve residents' lives”. “What about the cost?” The likely costs (described in question five) need to be balanced against the added value that a Town Council could bring to Whitstable now and in the future. Many Councils keep costs low (often Town Councillors choose not to receive any remuneration for the hours they devote to council work) and many councils have found imaginative ways to raise money for inward investment in their towns.
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How can I find out more about Town Councils?The National Association of Local Councils website gives details about Town Councils across the Country. https://www.nalc.gov.uk