Why Folkestone and Hythe District Council has the highest Council Tax in Kent [Spoiler: It Doesn't]

Lets have some fun with maths.

Folkestone and Hythe Council does not have the highest Council Tax in Kent.

On Wednesday, Folkestone and Hythe District Council set a Band D Council Tax of £280.08 for 2024/25.

Maidstone Borough Council set their Council Tax last week. Their Band D rate is £292.95.

That's nearly £13 a year more.

So why is average Council Tax higher in Folkestone and Hythe District than in Maidstone District?

That's because Average Council Tax is not just based on the District Council Tax. It includes Town and Parish Precepts, and Special Expenses like the Folkestone Parks and Gardens Precept.

And we should be fair: our Towns and Parishes set rates that compare pretty favourably with those in other districts.

The most expensive total Band D Council Tax in Folkestone and Hythe for next year will be in New Romney. Including Town, District, County, Police and Fire and Rescue precepts that will be £2,369.79.

In Bredhurst, in Maidstone District, that Band D household would pay £2,410.18. Over £40 more.

However we also have Town and Parishes covering almost every household in the district.

Others don't. In Maidstone for example, there is no Maidstone Town Council, no Town or Parish Precept on those households. That’s a really large percentage of the total number of houses in the district, and so a lower average Council Tax.

Its been said that this dates back to 2004: and it does. History homework: what happened in 2004? Folkestone Town and Sandgate Parish Councils came into being (after a referendum conducted across Folkestone and Hythe backed their formation).

Rightly. They do excellent work. I'm as invested in both as anyone. I've been a Folkestone Town Councillor for 10 years and a Sandgate Parish Councillor for 13. They should exist, they work well, as do the others across the district.

But their simple existence increases the average Council Tax across the area.

This Council does not set the highest Council Tax in the county - provably.

Our Towns and Parishes do not set the highest Council Tax in the county - provably.

But more people in Folkestone and Hythe District pay Town and Parish precepts than in other areas, and that increases our average.