CT5 Socials
Voice for Whitstable
Town Council Petition
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition for a Town Council.
Over 90% of the people we talked with last year supported the idea of a Town Council for Whitstable.
Our petition has been successful and Canterbury City Council have just started
a Community Governance Review to consider if Whitstable should
have a Town Council.
Your voice still needs to be heard - please respond to the first stage of the consultation by the 1st March and then to Stage 2 later in the year.
About the Petition & Community Governance Review
Our petition was launched in the summer of 2023 and by November we had gathered more than the 1,763 signatures required to trigger a community governance review. After receipt of the petition, Canterbury City Council’s (CCC) General Purposes committee considered the terms of reference and consultation plan for a community governance review (CGR) on 13 December 2023. CCC’s Council then ratified these on 4 January 2024, initiating a year long CGR process.
The community governance review has now started. It will explore whether the currently unparished areas of Whitstable should have a Town Council.
The review needs to be completed within a year. Once it is complete, the decision on whether a town council should be set up for Whitstable rests with CCC, so it’s vital for your voice to be heard now. If they decide there should be a Town
Council, it is expected that it would be formed after elections coinciding with the Kent County Council elections scheduled for 1 May 2025.
The geographical scope of the review is all the unparished areas of the CT5 postcode area. This includes the wards of Gorrell, Seasalter, Swalecliffe and Tankerton. It also considers parts of Chestfield ward not covered by Chestfield
Parish Council such as South Tankerton.
The review will be held in two stages. The first stage is seeking residents views on the very broad question of how we feel local community governance could be best met. There will be three public meetings with the consultation closing on 1st March 2024. Details of the public meetings and how you can respond with your views can be found here:
https://news.canterbury.gov.uk/consultations/community-governance-review-whitstable/
Or you can use this QR code
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The second stage will be launched in April and will run throughout the summer. It
will ask for more detailed responses to questions that emerge during stage one.
Why do we need 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 - (Now Complete)
A petition in support of a Town Council, needs to be signed by 7.5% of the electorate.
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Stage Two - (This Stage has just started)
Within twelve months of receipt of the petition Canterbury City Council are obliged to undertake a community governance review.
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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:
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Stage Four - this is an enabling period, giving some time to allow the actual Town Council to form.
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Stage Five - The members of the Town Council are then elected.
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There will be a full Public Consultation at Key Stages through this process.
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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.
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Develop plans for economic development including tourism and sustainability that support the uniqueness of the town and the basic needs of its people.
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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.
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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.
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Ensure that council tax and revenue generated by the town is spent locally and wisely.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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If you need further information, please contact us
