What Folkestone & Hythe District Council does

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is a UK local government authority serving the Folkestone & Hythe district in Kent, England, with approximately 193 employees operating from the Civic Centre headquarters at Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone. The council delivers statutory local services to roughly 54,960 households across a 26-mile coastal district, including council tax administration, housing benefits, waste collection, planning and building control, licensing, environmental health, parking, and electoral services. Its customer base is exclusively district residents and businesses within the defined geographic boundary, with no commercial market expansion outside the district.

The council has built a digital-first service delivery model centred on the MyAccount resident portal, launched in August 2020 and built on Salesforce Experience Cloud, which has registered approximately 50% of district residents and now handles nearly 70% of council interactions online. Supporting infrastructure includes a Jadu-powered public website, Capita payment processing with 256-bit SSL encryption, ArcGIS interactive mapping for planning policies and 'My Area' services, and TFA Forms for online applications such as housing benefit, council tax reduction, and disabled facilities grants. Non-digital channels remain in place — a telephone contact centre, a Customer Access Point for residents without digital access, a LiveChat service, and community hubs in Folkestone, Hythe, and Romney Marsh — alongside a quarterly Your District Today magazine delivered to all district households.

Revenue is generated primarily through council tax (the council retains roughly one-fifth, with the remainder distributed to Kent County Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue, and parish councils), retained business rates, service fees (planning, building control, licensing, parking), and government grants. Major strategic initiatives include the £22 million Folkestone – A Brighter Future town centre regeneration, the Otterpool Park garden town development, a Green Grant Scheme funding sustainability projects, the SHDF-funded retrofit of 400+ council-owned homes, and joint pursuit of cross-Channel UNESCO Global Geopark status with French partners. The council is operating in a transition period ahead of Kent local government reorganisation in 2028, when it will merge into a new unitary authority structure.

Name

Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Legal name

Folkestone & Hythe District Council

Website

https://folkestone-hythe.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Landscaping Services (561730), Landscaping Services (56173), Services to Buildings and Dwellings (5617)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Curbside MSW Collection (Cart-Based) (EUAIAAAA), Residential Subscription / Backdoor Collection (EUAIAAAB), Street & Public Space Litter Collection (Municipal Cleaning) (BPALAAAE)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Council tax administration
• Waste management services
• Planning applications
• Housing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Folkestone, Kent

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Council Tax: The council collects council tax from households, with nearly four-fifths distributed to other organizations (Kent County Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue, town and parish councils). The council's portion goes towards street cleansing, waste collection, parks, housing benefits, elections, environmental health, and planning services.
2. Business Rates: Business rates collected from businesses in the district.
3. Service Fees and Charges: Various service fees including planning applications, building control, licensing, parking, and other council services.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is a UK local government authority that delivers statutory public services to residents and businesses of the Folkestone & Hythe district in Kent, England. Core offerings include council tax collection and reduction schemes, business rates, housing benefits, waste and recycling collection, planning and building control, environmental health, licensing, parking enforcement, and community regeneration programmes. Service delivery is conducted through a MyAccount digital portal, in-person Customer Access Point, telephone contact centre, and LiveChat.

Product overview

Folkestone & Hythe District Council provides digital resident services through a unified online platform. The core offering is the MyAccount portal (built on Salesforce Experience Cloud), which integrates council tax management, housing benefits, bin collection scheduling, planning applications, building control, and licensing services. Supporting infrastructure includes online payment processing via Capita, ArcGIS-powered interactive mapping, and TFA Forms for digital applications. The council also operates regeneration initiatives (Folkestone – A Brighter Future), community publications (Your District Today magazine), and environmental programmes (Green Grant Scheme). The website is powered by Jadu CMS and reaches approximately 50% of district residents through MyAccount registration since its August 2020 launch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MyAccount Portal Online resident services portal providing 24/7 access to council tax, housing benefits, bin collection schedules, planning applications, building control, licensing, Freedom of Information requests, and councillor information. Used by district residents.
• Online Payment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 70% of council interactions with residents are now conducted online
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Kent and Medway Information PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn agreement between local authorities and other public bodies in Kent to facilitate sharing of information for defined and legitimate purposes. Part of 'top level' sharing agreements affecting all council departments and staff.
• East Kent Audit PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for audit services across East Kent local authorities. Privacy notice available for this arrangement.
• Kent County CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKent County Council manages the highways element of the Folkestone – A Brighter Future project. They also provide services such as education, social services, and child services under the two-tier local government structure.
• Southern WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Southern Water for data sharing to identify residents eligible for water bill discounts. Southern Water is moving eligible residents to cheaper Essentials Tariff with at least 45% bill reduction.
• Jackson Civil EngineeringcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner delivering the Folkestone – A Brighter Future project works, with dedicated Public Liaison Officer contact for residents.
• StagecoachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil is working with Stagecoach to improve rural bus services in the district.
• Wickhambreaux Developments LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurchased the 10-acre Biggins Wood former brickworks site in Cheriton and is delivering 5,600sqm of commercial units and employment space.
• Orbit Homes (partnering with Chartway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding 77 new all-electric homes for social rent and shared ownership at Biggins Wood site.
• Highview Development CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurchased land at former Highview School site to deliver 30 new homes (22% affordable) following council de-risking of the site.
• Kent Coast VolunteeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for volunteering services and Excellence in Volunteering Awards ceremony organized in partnership with the council.
• Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement with Citizens Advice ensures residents retain access to free, independent and confidential advice. Funding maintained by the council.
• Kent Downs National LandscapecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint bid for cross-Channel UNESCO Global Geopark status with Parc Naturel Regional des Caps et Marais d'Opale in France. Council is a supporting organization.
• Town & Country Home Improvement AgencycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManages disabled facilities grant cases on behalf of the council and helps residents with loan applications, contractor arrangements, and works supervision.
• Salvation Army FolkestoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides communal Christmas meals for lonely residents, supported by volunteers.
• Rainbow CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinter Shelter project recruiting volunteers; hosts Citizens Advice sessions on Thursdays 10am-3pm.
• Romney Marsh Countryside PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages Romney Warren on behalf of Folkestone & Hythe District Council. Reopened The Nest (formerly Romney Marsh Visitor Centre) as café, shop and learning space.
• EKC Folkestone CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents support community projects including historic renovation of Radnor Park Lodge and charity fundraising.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kent County Council: Upper-tier authority responsible for highways, education, social services and child services across Kent. Partner of Folkestone & Hythe on the 'Folkestone - A Brighter Future' project and a likely core constituent of the 2028 successor unitary authority.

Regional players

• Rother District Council: Neighbouring East Sussex district council with a strong coastal/rural economy profile, providing waste, planning, housing, council tax and regeneration services. Comparable in scale but operates under a different county council (East Sussex) and a different reorganisation timeline.

Direct peers

• Swale Borough Council: Kent district council delivering the same core statutory services (council tax, bin collections, planning, housing benefits). Similar population scale and 2028 reorganisation exposure.
• Canterbury City Council: Larger Kent district council with similar statutory mandate, strong heritage/tourism economy, and major regeneration programmes. Operates the same digital resident services model and faces the same 2028 reorganisation.
• Ashford Borough Council: Kent district council delivering comparable statutory services (council tax, waste, planning, housing) under the same two-tier system with Kent County Council. Similar population and budget scale to Folkestone & Hythe and subject to the same 2028 unitary reorganisation.
• Thanet District Council: East Kent district council with comparable coastal/demographic profile, providing council tax, waste collection, housing and regeneration services. Faces the same 2028 reorganisation pathway and shares the Kent county council tier-two relationship.
• Maidstone Borough Council: Kent district council with comparable waste, planning, housing and council tax responsibilities, organised under the same two-tier system. Comparable budget scale and resident-facing service model.
• Tunbridge Wells Borough Council: West Kent district council providing the same range of statutory local authority services. Operates an equivalent MyAccount-style digital portal and faces the same 2028 reorganisation pathway.
• Dover District Council: Neighbouring Kent district council serving Dover district with similar coastal geography, comparable population scale, and the same range of waste collection, planning, housing, council tax and regeneration functions. Both councils face the same 2028 Kent local government reorganisation.

Others

• Shepway District Council: The predecessor entity to Folkestone & Hythe District Council (renamed in 2018 under the council's local rebrand). Directly comparable as the same legal authority under a previous name, hence 'others' rather than direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fstonehythedc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDFvKQQXAEi0avpOSBGKeVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/FolkestoneandHytheDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/folkestone-hythe-district-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/folkestonehythedc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Folkestone & Hythe District Council