A key annual debate may be scrapped - because it is too boring.

Councillors have made the damning judgement on Ashford’s State of the Borough debate and want a top committee to vote tonight to abolish it.

They have a general concern about local apathy, with a recent meeting on council tax being attended by just three people, one a councillor’s wife.

The frank verdict on State of the Borough came from Ashford Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee.

A report for Thursday night’s executive meeting said: "The committee considered that the State of the Borough Debate was boring, failed to engage the interest of the public or members and should be abolished."

The Ashford Borough Council report also said that the committee had considered the annual debate as "not fit for purpose" and that "the public were not interested."

The council is hoping to shake off a general state of apathy among the public towards local authority matters.

Tonight’s report added: "The public were not interested in attending these meetings. More recently, the meeting organised by Kent County Council for residents to discuss the council tax prior to it being set had attracted three members of the public. One of these was the wife of an ABC member who attended."

State of the Borough has been held every autumn since 2002 as a wide-ranging assessment of Ashford’s condition covering areas such as housing, health and transport.

The report says that Ashford appears to be the only district council in Kent to still have the debate.

Canterbury abolished its own last year because it was never popular.