Ashford Borough Council has paused the creation of a new Ashford Town Council because of the pause to local government reorganisation in Kent. The town council will not now be set up in April 2027, and its first elections, due in May 2027, will not go ahead as planned.
Plans for a new Ashford Town Council have been put on hold, Ashford Borough Council announced on Monday 26 October.
Full Council decided at its meeting on 15 October to pause work on setting up the town council. It had been due to be established on 1 April 2027, with its first elections on 6 May 2027. The borough council said those dates “will no longer be met”.
The proposal has not been cancelled. The council said it will wait for further government guidance on local government reorganisation (LGR) before reviewing its future.
Why it has been paused
The borough council decided in July 2026 to create a town council for the unparished area of Ashford, after a Community Governance Review. It said the review was started to check whether local democratic arrangements were best designed to serve residents in light of LGR, under which the borough council would be replaced by a larger unitary council in 2028.
Ministers have since asked councils to pause work that depends on a specific LGR decision, including work based on the proposed four-unitary model for Kent and Medway. The council said that although the town council proposal was not part of LGR, the decision to create one “was based on LGR taking place in 2028”.
What had been done so far
The Community Governance Review was completed in July 2026 after two stages of public consultation, and its final report was approved by Full Council. An Ashford Town Council Advisory Group was then set up to oversee the arrangements needed to establish the new council, including governance, finances, staffing and services.
Key information
- Paused: by Full Council on 15 October 2026, pending government guidance on LGR
- Not cancelled: the council will review the proposal once that guidance is available
- Original plan: town council established 1 April 2027, first elections 6 May 2027
- Area covered: the unparished area of Ashford
Sources
- Ashford Borough Council media release 26-0083, Ashford Town Council proposals put on hold, 26 October 2026
- Ashford Borough Council: Community Governance Review of Ashford’s unparished area, final report
- Ashford Borough Council: Community Governance Review (CGR)
Ashford Town Council paused quiz
3 questions