Green led Council – Supported By Lib Dems & Reform – Deepen Residents Suffering

The situation facing residents of Folkestone & Hythe District led by Cllr Jim Martin (pictured) and his Green led administration is nothing short of a disgrace. A closer look at council services reveals a shocking and relentless decline in quality that is hitting every corner of the district. Whether you live in the north, south, east, or west, the crumbling state of essential services—from waste collection and housing to public amenities and planning—is impossible to ignore. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s a full-blown crisis that raises serious questions about the competence of local governance and the future of our community.

The Council’s own Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS report pages 5 & 6) approved on 26 February at full council, lays bare the grim reality: our district is quietly drowning in rising deprivation, far worse than the national average, with glaring inequalities significantly harming communities from Lydd to Lyminge. Rural areas such as the Marsh are being left to rot, starved of basic services and facilities. Meanwhile, the housing crisis spirals out of control, with demand far outstripping supply, sending property prices through the roof—especially in the private rental market. Affordable housing? A pipe dream. Homelessness? Skyrocketing. This is a disaster, and it’s getting worse by the day.

Fast forward to 2024/25, and things have only gone from bad to catastrophic. Homeowners are still shackled by sky-high mortgage interest rates, a cruel hangover from 2023/24, while the cost-of-living crisis tightens its grip, thanks to relentless inflation. Wages? Pathetic. They haven’t come close to keeping up with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), leaving families across the district gasping for air as they struggle to pay for heating, food, rent, and mortgages. Food banks are overflowing, homelessness is on the rise, and the Council’s response? A slap in the face.

Instead of this Green led administration (supported by the Lib Dems Cllrs & Reform Cllr) standing up for residents, the Council has decided to hit residents while they’re down. They’ve hiked Council Tax by £8.85 (for an average Band D property), jacked up parking fees and charges, and ramped up all but one of the discretionary fees and charges. These measures might plug a few budgetary holes, but they’re doing it on the backs of hardworking families who are already in financial stress. It’s a heartless, tone-deaf move that will only push more residents into poverty.

And who’s to blame for this outrage? Let’s name and shame the Councillors who voted in favour of this betrayal:

FOR: Councillors M Blakemore (Green), P Blakemore (Green), Butcher (Green), Fuller (Lib Dem), Holgate (Green), Jones (Green), E Martin (Green), J Martin (Green), McConville (Ind), Prater (Lib Dem), Scoffham (Green), Shoob (Green), Speakman (Green), and Wimble (Reform) (14).

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Labour & Tory Cllrs abstained (11). There were no Cllrs voting against the budget.

That’s right—not a single Councillor had the guts to stand up and say no. Instead, Cllr Martin & his chums signed off on a budget that will further deplete residents income. And it doesn’t stop there. The Council has also ramped up the costs for burials, cremations, and even memorial benches. These are discretionary charges, meaning that Jim’s Green led administration had a choice—but instead of easing the burden on struggling families, they chose to pile on the pain.

The numbers don’t lie. Since June 2024, Sunflower House has distributed a staggering 21.3 tonnes of food and drink—equivalent to 50,715 meals or 5,635 food parcels, as defined by the Trussell Trust. And that’s just one facility. Across the district, pantry services are seeing a surge in demand, with NHS employees, teachers, and other professionals now forced to rely on charity just to put food on the table, according to a Rainbow Centre spokesperson. Schools? They’ve got food banks now too, and they’re busier than ever.

It’s a horrifying picture. It is not just cold homes which are harming residents, but a lack of food as well. An estimated 31% of households in the district—that’s 15,965 out of 51,500—have had to turn to food banks or pantries over the last year. And this number is increasing, as the cost of living crisis continues. Add in the fact in 2013, 9.6% of households in the district were in fuel poverty, and that has increased to 14% in 2022 (latest data available), this isn’t just a crisis; it’s a scandal. The fact that more and more residents are relying on food banks due to food insecurity is a damning indictment of the Council’s priorities. It’s a clear sign that the 14 Councillors who voted for the budget couldn’t care less about the people they’re supposed to serve. Households are having to resort to foodbanks while they sit comfortably in their positions of power underpinned by their increasing allowances.

So, Councillor Jim Martin leader of the Council, how do you sleep at night? How can you possibly claim to be providing value for money when residents are paying more for less? Your administration’s budget is a betrayal, plain and simple. It’s a slap in the face to every household in this district, forcing them to fork out more for diminished services while pushing more and more people into fuel and food poverty. Disposable income? Forget it. Families are being squeezed to breaking point, and your Green-led administration is to blame locally, as the nasty party (The Tories) are long gone.

Let’s be clear: this budget isn’t just unfair—it’s cruel. It’s a recipe for deepening inequality and hardship, and it’s a betrayal of the trust residents placed in those they elected. What we need is a Council that actually gives a damn about its residents—one that prioritizes their needs, adopts fair and sustainable financial practices, and works to restore faith in local governance. Instead, we’ve got a Green-led administration that’s more interested in patting itself on the back for saving Princes Parade than addressing the real, urgent needs of the people.

Councillor Martin stated back in May 2023, “There is much for us to do, we have many repairs to make and a great deal of debris to clear up.” However, rather than focusing on clearing up the mess or helping to repair the financial strain on residents, his administration—supported by the Lib Dems & Reform—have continued down the same path as the Tories. By voting for budget increases alongside thirteen other councillors, they have made life harder for many residents, leaving them worse off than before. 

The Shepway Vox Team

The Velvet Voices of Voxatiousness