The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Folkestone and Hythe Council met on 30 September 2025 to discuss waste and recycling reforms, and local government reorganisation. Councillor Jeremy Speakman, the Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Cleansing, and Corporate Health & Safety, was scheduled to provide an update. The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes from their meeting on 29 July 2025.

Waste and Recycling Reforms

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to receive a presentation providing an update on waste and recycling reforms.

The presentation outlined that the Environment Act 2021 introduced new duties for local authorities regarding the collection of recycling materials, as well as other national proposals such as extended producer responsibility¹. The presentation noted that the committee would be asked to:

review whether further steps could be taken to not only comply, but also to push our recycling rates beyond the 50% threshold

The committee was also scheduled to consider how the implementation of extended producer responsibility and improved recycling supports broader circular economy ambitions, including waste reduction and material reuse.

The presentation noted that Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) is the 'Waste Collection Authority' and Kent County Council (KCC) is the 'Waste Disposal Authority'. It stated that the council serves over 53,000 properties weekly, with alternate weekly collections and weekly food waste collections for 95% of properties. There are 16,200 garden waste subscribers. The annual budget for waste services is £6.3 million.

The presentation stated that the FHDC recycling rate for 2024/25 was 46%, compared to a UK recycling rate of 44%.

The presentation identified a number of risks, including:

• Frontline services to 53,000 weekly customers
• Inflationary pressures on the biggest contract
• Seasonal demands for street cleansing
• Frequent regulatory change
• A 46% recycling rate, below the UK target of 50%
• The shared Waste Transfer Station[^3] at Ashford, which has a vulnerability mitigated by the proposed J11 Project [^3]: A waste transfer station is a building or processing site for the temporary deposition, consolidation and onward transfer of waste.
• Safety concerns, including violence and aggression
• Local Government Reorganisation, with the contract ending on 15 January 2029

The presentation stated that the waste contract ends on 15 January 2029, and procurement must start in 2026, which will span the Local Government Reorganisation period. Options for the next contract include extending the current contracts, but the presentation asks for how long?

The presentation also included information on Simpler Recycling, noting that:

• Workplace Collections (March 2025): businesses and other workplaces are required to provide separate waste bins/collections for general waste, recycling (paper, card, plastics, metal and glass) and food.
• (Packaging) Extended Producer Responsibility (November 2025): Establishment of a national pEPR scheme for packaging producers administered by PackUK. The first instalment of pEPR funding to local authorities confirmed for November 2025.
• Household Collections (March 2026): Local authorities to provide all households with a general/residual waste collection, a recycling collection for the core materials (paper, card, plastics, metal and glass), and a weekly food recycling service.
• Plastic Film (March 2027): Expansion of the collection criteria to include 'thin' plastics e.g. (crisp packets, cling film, etc).
• Deposit Return Scheme (October 2027): Deposit Return Scheme planned to start in October 2027.

The presentation stated that the council is testing its collection scheme compliance, material compliance and scheme coverage in advance of the Simpler Recycling changes.

The presentation noted that 5% of properties, mainly communal properties such as flats and HMOs², are not part of the recycling scheme. The presentation included information on pEPR, noting that it is a levy applied to packaging producers and distributors to cover the collection and the processing costs of their product. It also noted that PackUK will have an emerging role as a regulator and auditor, monitoring and challenging the performance of council recycling services, starting from 2026.

The presentation stated that the current UK recycling target is 50%, with a target of 65% by 2035.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to receive a presentation providing an update on the proposals and timeline for Local Government Reorganisation in Kent.

The presentation stated that Local Government Reorganisation involves reconfiguring the structure and responsibilities of local authorities, moving from a two-tier system of district and county councils to create unitary councils. It noted that Kent County Council and the district councils will cease to exist.

The presentation also provided information on devolution, which involves the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government, via a Combined Strategic Authority (with a Mayor) for the whole of Kent (including Medway). It noted that there is no timeline for devolution for Kent at this point.

The presentation outlined the guidance for proposals for unitaries, stating that they must:

• Be a single tier of local government
• Achieve efficiencies, improve capacity, and withstand financial shocks
• Provide high quality and sustainable public services
• Meet local needs and be informed by local views
• Support devolution arrangements
• Enable stronger community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment

The presentation included a timeline for Local Government Reorganisation, with final proposals due to be submitted by 28 November 2025, and a decision announcement expected in July 2026.

The presentation noted that KPMG are co-ordinating collaborative work on a three UA proposal involving Folkestone and Hythe with Ashford, Canterbury, Thanet and Dover, and a four UA proposal involving Folkestone and Hythe with Ashford and Swale. It also noted that KCC have decided to undertake internal work on a single UA with three area assemblies.

The presentation outlined communication and engagement plans, including ongoing staff and member briefings, a dedicated LGR page on the council's website, and a county-wide campaign to raise awareness.

The presentation stated that the government are required to undertake statutory consultation on their preferred proposal(s) in early spring 2026, and the final decision sits with the government.

Cabinet Member Update

Councillor Jeremy Speakman, the Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Cleansing, and Corporate Health & Safety, was scheduled to provide an update on his portfolio.

The update stated that Councillor Speakman continues to have regular meetings and correspondence with relevant officers and residents on matters specifically relating to his portfolio, including:

• Ongoing review of current waste management and collection arrangements
• Ongoing liaison with the public and the Waste Management Team to ensure that day-to-day issues and complaints from the public relating to refuse collection and street cleansing are promptly addressed
• Ongoing liaison with enforcement and Waste Management Team to resolve fly tipping issues
• Oversight of the work of the Waste Management Team on its continuing 'Raise the Rate' campaign, with aim of increasing the district's recycling rate
• Regular liaison meetings and support to local groups such Hythe Environmental Community Group, Go Folkestone and Romney Marsh Litter Pick Watch to promote their valuable contribution to the Circular Economy
• Oversight of new resources as they become available such as 5 new 'smart' big belly bins that have been deployed across the district and imminent replacement of metal bins with plastic bins along the coastal promenades.

The update noted that Veolia continue to perform very well in terms of low rates of missed bins, operating well within the contract standard of less than 50 misses per 100,000 collections.

The update also provided a year-to-date review, noting that the summer season has been exceptionally busy with very large visitor numbers to the coast.

Regarding Corporate Health & Safety, the update stated that the council had a successful follow up to the audit undertaken in 2024 by the East Kent Audit Partnership, giving the council 'Reasonable Assurance'.