LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION CONSULTATION

The statutory consultation seeks views on the proposals that the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has received following the Secretary of State’s invitation to councils in Kent and Medway to submit proposals for unitary local government for Kent and Medway. The (5) proposals in this consultation were made by the following councils on 28 November 2025:

Kent County Council proposed 1 unitary council comprising the current areas of:

• Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, and Medway

Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council proposed 3 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• North: Dartford, Gravesham, Medway, and Swale
• West: Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, and Tunbridge Wells
• East: Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, and Thanet

Dover District Council, Swale Borough Council, and Thanet District Council proposed 4 unitary councils. These would comprise the current areas of:

• North: Dartford, Gravesham, and Medway
• West: Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells
• Mid: Swale, Ashford, and Folkestone & Hythe
• East: Canterbury, Dover, and Thanet

Medway Council, Ashford Borough Council, and Canterbury City Council proposed 4 unitary councils. This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of (please see maps in the proposal for full details):

• North Kent: Medway (98%), Gravesham (87%), Swale (81%), Dartford (78%), small parts of Tonbridge and Malling (3%), and Maidstone (2%)
• West Kent: Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Malling (61%), Dartford (22%), Gravesham (13%), and Medway (2%)
• East Kent: Canterbury, Dover, Thanet, Folkestone and Hythe (64%), and Swale (Faversham area 17%)
• Mid Kent: Ashford, Maidstone (98%), Folkestone and Hythe (36%), Tonbridge and Malling (36%), and Swale (3%)

Dartford Borough Council and Gravesham Borough Council proposed 5 unitary councils. This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of (please see maps in the proposal for full details):

• North Kent: Dartford, Gravesham, Medway (25%), and Sevenoaks (18%)
• West Kent: Maidstone, Sevenoaks (82%), Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells
• East Kent: Canterbury, Swale (24%), and Thanet
• Mid Kent: Medway (75%) and Swale (76%)
• South Kent: Ashford, Dover, and Folkestone & Hythe

This consultation asks questions about each proposal to help inform the assessment of the proposals.

This consultation ends on the 26th March 2026 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-government-reorganisation-in-kent-and-medway/proposals-for-local-government-reorganisation-in-kent-and-medway