Campaign to create new town council makes progress

Campaign group CT5 People's Forum want a new town council to be set up in Whitstable

Campaigners are celebrating achieving the next step in their effort to set up a new council to represent their town.

Whitstable, which has a CT5 postcode, is currently governed by Canterbury City Council (CCC) but campaigners argue the town would be better served by its own town council.

A recent committee meeting of CCC voted unanimously to recommend the full council undertake a community governance review, which will be voted on later this month.

But there are concerns that the plan would be undemocratic and could cost taxpayers in CT5 an extra £60-£80 per year in council tax.

Bernadette Fisher from the CT5 People's Forum told councillors at the meeting: "We feel that democracy in CT5 would be better served with a town council and have had the people, organisation and determination to get this far."

Chris Stanley, spearheading the campaign, said a possible town council “will be able to bid for extra support and funding that CCC or Kent County Council can’t access”.

During the meeting Conservative councillor Jeanette Stockley said: “One of my big worries about a parish or a town council, is that we have the same people doing it and they’re all mates together, maybe they’re not very democratic I fear.”

Whitstable, along with Margate, is one of the only coastal towns in Kent not to have its own town council

If a vote later this month passes, a public consultation for residents to give their views will launch from January until March, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A public meeting on the possible town council will be held by CCC at Seasalter Christian Centre on 22 January.