Critics opposing the public funding of the Step Short Arch to commemorate the fallen in the First World War claim people have not been consulted enough on funding for the project.

A petition set up by Gary Fuller, a Liberal Democrat parish councillor for Sandgate, has so far only received around 160 signatures.

Shepway District Council has provided £200,000 of funding and Kent County Council has put £100,000 into the coffers.

The project will be built by Step Short. They who hope to attract thousands of visitors and make Folkestone a hugely significant site for the commemorations of the start of the First World War to be held next August.

We revealed last week that a “grade one” member of the Royal Family was being lined up to perform the opening.

Mr Fuller recognises the importance of the commemoration but says the use of public money should be directed elsewhere to improve Folkestone.

He said: “The remembrance of the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces during wartime is extremely important.

“Our council tax is paying for this arch and we have a right to a say in how that money is spent.

"I want to see improvements to Folkestone that will free people from ignorance, repression, and poverty.

“That for me is a far more fitting tribute to the sacrifices made by the armed forces than any physical monument.”

“Mine is far from the only dissenting voice.

“I’m confident that with proper scrutiny the public outcry will continue to grow.”

Communities paid for their memorials

Formal commemorations for fallen soldiers began to be seen in the late 19th century during the Boer War.

This was the first time British soldiers who paid the ultimate price for their country were remembered on memorials.

Professor Mark Connelly, professor of modern British history at the University of Kent, has researched the history behind commemoration.

He is helping the Step Short project with the historical context in Folkestone and developing ideas about what to include in the visitor centre.

He says commemoration is still hugely significant today.

Professor Connelly said: “Year on year the Armistice Day observance is actually increasing with November 11 now almost reaching its inter-war levels of public interest.

"It is fascinating how Armistice Day has re-entered the public consciousness. What this actually signifies is very difficult to pin down.

“It might be the sudden realisation that the last direct human connections with the First World War have slipped away and that the same is now rapidly happening to Second World War veterans which has made the public more conscious of the two world wars.”

He adds that throughout history these memorials were invariably supported by public money.

“There was often some debate over the precise form and nature of the memorial, and particularly whether some kind of practical memorial such as a hospital might be more fitting.

“Most First and Second World War memorials were paid for by public subscription by the communities that built them.

“However, most people wanted something that was special and set apart where they could respectfully grieve for their dead and so memorials were built.

“Folkestone was a key point of entry and exit for the Western Front during the First World War and as such is very special.

"It was also a crossroads of the world in its own way as it saw the transit of cultures, creeds and classes from across the British Empire and also became a centre for Belgian refugees.

“Folkestone was made cosmopolitan by the experience of the war and this makes it a fascinating concentrated example of all of the war’s social and cultural effects.”

The link to the petition is here https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/shepway-district-council-say-no-to-200k-step-short-arch-grant