Ministers withdrew the Mid Kent Council decision on 29 October. Any new council now starts April 2029 at the earliest, and a Kent mayor is possible in 2028.

The Government has withdrawn its decision to replace Ashford Borough Council with a new Mid Kent Council. Ministers took it back on Thursday 29 October, seven weeks after putting it under review.

The decision is not cancelled. Every option for Kent is still on the table, and ministers say they remain committed to reorganising councils. But any new council would now start on 1 April 2029 at the earliest, a year later than planned.

The day before, the Budget said Kent and Medway will get a Strategic Authority, which could come with an elected mayor.

What the minister’s letter says

Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government, wrote to council leaders in nine areas on 29 October. Kent and Medway is one of them (MHCLG, withdrawn letter to 9 areas).

He wrote that “further time is required to consider the outcome” in those areas, and that the July decisions were withdrawn “to give you clarity on the status of the existing decisions”. He added:

This is not a reflection of the quality of the proposals submitted by councils in your area, but rather the need to give each decision of such significance the careful consideration it deserves.

The letter makes four points that matter in Ashford:

  • All options stay open. “For the avoidance of doubt, all options and proposals in your area will remain under consideration as part of the review.” Mid Kent is one of them, not the answer.
  • Reorganisation is still coming. The Government “remains committed to delivering Local Government Reorganisation” on the criteria it set in February 2025. The letter does not suggest keeping today’s two-tier system.
  • A decision by early 2027. Some areas will hear “by Christmas”, and “every area will have an outcome announced by early next year”. The letter does not say which areas go first.
  • A new timetable. Elections to any new councils would be in May 2028, with vesting day on 1 April 2029.

The May 2027 borough elections go ahead to the existing council, as the minister said in September.

What was decided in July

In July, ministers chose four new councils for Kent and Medway. Ashford was to join Folkestone and Hythe and Swale in a Mid Kent Council with 60 councillors, replacing Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council on 1 April 2028. We set out the detail in our report on the July decision.

On 7 September the minister paused it and told councils to stop work on implementation (our report on the pause). Thursday’s letter goes further: the decision itself no longer stands.

Timeline. 16 July 2026: ministers decide on a Mid Kent Council covering Ashford, Folkestone and Hythe, and Swale. 7 September 2026: decision put under review. 28 October 2026: Budget names a Strategic Authority for Kent and Medway, Mayoral or Foundation. 29 October 2026: July decision withdrawn, all options stay open. Early 2027: outcome promised. May 2027: Ashford Borough Council elections go ahead. May 2028: elections to any new councils, and a possible mayoral election. 1 April 2029: vesting day for any new council.
How the reorganisation dates have moved since July. Graphic by The Ashford Times
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The Budget and a possible Kent mayor

Devolution is a separate process from reorganisation. Reorganisation decides which councils run local services. Devolution moves powers and money from Whitehall to a body covering the whole county.

The Budget on 28 October said the Government is “in the final stages” of agreeing 10 new devolution agreements. One is:

A Strategic Authority for Kent and Medway which will be Mayoral if the area’s Local Government Reorganisation outcome is compatible with this and Foundation if not.

That is in paragraph 4.67 of the Budget 2026 document. So whether Kent gets an elected mayor depends on which council map ministers finally choose. The Budget says the Government will now work with councils “to launch local consultations”, and aims for devolution across all of England by the end of 2028.

What Ashford Borough Council says

The council welcomed the Budget announcement in a statement on 30 October (Ashford Borough Council). It says a Strategic Authority would bring together decisions and funding on transport, adult skills and local growth across Kent and Medway.

It confirms the reorganisation process “remains paused” and that there is “no confirmation that the proposed 4b model, or any alternative, will be taken forward”. The 4b model is the four-council map chosen in July.

The council’s working timetable, which it says “may change”:

  • May 2027: elections for the existing councils
  • 2028: elections for shadow authorities, which would prepare the new councils
  • 2028: a possible mayoral election, if a mayoral model is agreed
  • 2029: the proposed start date for any new council or councils

It expects devolution arrangements could be working by the end of 2028. It asks residents, businesses and community groups to “treat proposed council arrangements and implementation dates as provisional”.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes in your services. Ashford Borough Council still collects your bins, sets your council tax share and decides planning applications. Kent County Council still runs roads, schools and social care.
  • You vote for the borough council in May 2027, on today’s wards, as normal.
  • Mid Kent is not dead. It is one option among several, with a decision promised by early 2027.
  • A Kent mayor is possible. If one is agreed, the first election would be in 2028.
  • Today’s council decisions last longer. Whatever the borough council commits to now would pass to any successor in 2029 at the earliest, not 2028.

We will report the outcome for Kent when ministers announce it.

Sources