Is it a village or is it a town? That is the burning question which has been exercising minds at Sandgate.

Now, after a brief period as a town, it is a village again.

A referendum was held on Thursday night to ask the people of Sandgate whether they wanted to go back to being a village after the erstwhile parish council changed itself into a town council in March.

The landslide result saw 709 people vote for returning to be a village, with 42 going for the town option.

Mayor Geoffrey Boot said he would be proposing a motion at Wednesday’s extraordinary general meeting to immediately return Sandgate to parish status.

He would then cease to be a mayor, and become chairman of the parish council.

He said he was disappointed that the town/parish issue had become clouded by the cult of personality and claimed that by focusing on him, the benefits of being a town had become obscured.

Speaking from a conference in Athens, Cllr Boot added: "I’m disappointed and I think it has set Sandgate back - for the first time in history we had equal status with Hythe and Folkestone.

"It became a personal issue and there has been one individual who has personalised it.

"Whether it was a vote against me or a vote against the concept I’m not sure. I have been working on Sandgate issues, such as getting grants with other councils, almost full-time and all that will collapse now as like tends to attract like and we will just be a parish.

"But I’m a great believer in democracy and what the people want."

Lib Dem councillor Season Prater, the only non-Tory on the council, had campaigned against town status.

She said: "I was a bit surprised at how big the majority was, it’s fantastic.

"I have nothing against Geoffrey Boot but there is a sense that he and some of the others took the people for granted and got what they wanted.

"Sandgate is not big enough to be a town and there a sense of community in the village and I don’t think the people wanted it changed."

The £1,700 cost of the referendum was borne by Sandgate Town Council.