The government’s plans to streamline local authorities by merging county and district councils to form new unitary authorities might actually lead to more parish and town councils being created, it has been suggested.

In Maidstone, the speculation is that the borough would merge with Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks to create a new unitary authority that would also take on the responsibility that KCC currently has for services such as adult social care, education and highways in the expanded area.

But politicians and others are concerned that this would leave a “democratic deficit” with no truly local voice to represent people at grass-roots level - particularly in unparished areas such as Maidstone town centre.

The government has said that ideally each new unitary authority would have a population of at least 500,000.

In Kent, with its population of 1,610,300, that could imply just three unitary authorities across the county.

Cllr Paul Harper, who represents Fant and Oakwood at Maidstone Borough Council, said: “That would leave no identity for Maidstone town in that new structure.

“It would create a democratic deficit with people having no real local voice.”

One possibility is the creation of a Maidstone Town Council to cover the 120,000 Maidstone residents who are not currently represented by a parish council.

Town councils have exactly the same legal powers as parish councils, but are usually bigger and can have their own Mayor.

Sevenoaks already has a town council, operating underneath the Sevenoaks District Council.

Cllr Harper said: “If a town council were created to cover all the non-parished areas in Maidstone, it would be very large.

“It would in fact be the biggest in England - currently only Northampton Town Council has an electorate of more than 100,000.”

An alternative might be to create more parish councils to cover the urban area, perhaps based on existing ward boundaries.

The council’s democratic and electoral services manager, Ryan O’Connell, has been given the task of researching the options with a view to presenting a report to the council’s democracy and general purposes committee at the end of January.

Cllr Harper said: “Maidstone has had its own Mayor since Elizabethan times. A new town council would at least allow us to continue that tradition.”

Although it is within the borough’s powers to create new parish or town councils, there is a legal process and a series of consultations to go through.

Cllr Harper said: “That’s why it’s important to get moving on this, because the government seems determined to press ahead quickly with its own re-organisation plans - even though there was no mention of it in their election manifesto.”

The Minister of State for Local Government, Jim McMahon, wants to fast-track reorganisation and has invited the county’s district and borough councils to submit their proposals by this coming March.

Mr McMahon said the government’s vision was for “simpler structures which make it much clearer for residents who they should look to on local issues, with fewer politicians.”

Even Kent’s one existing unitary authority - Medway - will not be safe from change, since with a headcount of around 280,000, it falls below the population level that the government feels is necessary “to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.”

Mr McMahon said: “For most areas, this will mean creating councils with a population of 500,000 or more.”

The government is combining reorganisation with a drive to devolution and wants to see more elected Mayors with direct real powers in their areas.

It plans to hold the first of these inaugural mayoral elections in May 2026.

The speedy timetable has come as a shock to many.

Maidstone held its first elections under its new five-year-term rule only in May this year - and councillors had expected they would keep their seats till at least 2029.

Now it seems they will be part of a new unitary authority - involving new elections - in either April 2027 or April 2028.

The leader of Maidstone Borough Council, Cllr Stuart Jeffery (Green), has blasted the government’s proposals saying: “It’s centralisation of power, not devolution.

“It’s less democratic and it’s a retrograde move for the county, so we will need to ensure that we take the rough edges off any changes and ensure that we get the best possible outcome for residents.

He said: “The scrapping of districts and county councils with the formation of unitaries, will mean fewer councillors who will be harder to reach and harder to engage by residents.”

Cllr Jeffery, who in May became Maidstone’s first Green Party council leader, is now also facing the possibility of his being the town’s last council leader.

He said: “I think that more parish and town councils will be needed to provide much needed local representation and voice. Maidstone doesn’t have a town council, so we may need to set one up.”

Geraldine Brown is the chairman of Yalding Parish Council and is also the chairman of the Maidstone branch of the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC), the body that represents parish and town councils.

She said: “We haven’t yet discussed this at KALC, but my own personal view is that every part of the county should be represented by a parish or town council.

“Parishes can represent people at ground level, giving a truly local voice.”

Cllr Brown acknowledged that the current system of both county and district authorities was “confusing to the man on the street”, with people uncertain which authority was responsible for which service, and she suggested that combining authorities could save money.

But, she said, it would be disappointing if as a result Maidstone lost its Mayor.

She said: “It would be a sad loss not to have that bit of pomp and circumstance when required.”

Unlike most parish councils which are based on traditional rural villages, Tovil Parish Council in Maidstone was only created in 1987.

Susan Hogg has served as a Tovil parish councillor for six years.

She agreed with Cllr Brown, saying: “It would be a shame if the long tradition of having a Maidstone mayor were to be lost.”

She said: “I would prefer the system to stay unchanged, but if unitary authorities are created, there will still be a need for people to get hold of their representative locally.

“If a unitary authority means you end up with one councillor covering half of Maidstone, they will be too far removed from the day-to-day issues that concern people.”

Kate Hammond is the chairman of Save Our Heathlands, a residents group that has been actively opposing the borough council’s plans for a new garden village at Lenham Heath.

She said: “There are so many unknown elements to what the government is proposing that it’s difficult to take a stand.

“What will happen to Maidstone’s newly adopted Local Plan in any re-organisation? What will happen to those villages that have adopted Neighbourhood Plans?

“If Maidstone ends up going in with Tonbridge and Malling and with Sevenoaks, then we’re pretty screwed. Both of those have large areas of Green Belt land, which means all future development will be heading in our direction.”

“Parish councils do give some voice to local people, so the creation of a new town council might be beneficial, as long as it actually had an influence.

If its views are not taken into account, it will just be a waste of time

“If its views are not taken into account, it will just be a lot of hot air and a waste of time.”

Ms Hammond was also supportive of Maidstone continuing to have a Mayor.

She said: “The role of Mayor is one good part of the current system - visiting schools, opening businesses, it’s all part of creating a community.

“We don’t want to lose that tradition!”

Paul Thomas is the chairman of the Maidstone and Malling branch of the Reform Party.

It currently has no representatives on Maidstone council, but based on current national poll ratings, had been hoping to make inroads at the KCC elections due next May.

Now the government is proposing that the county elections be cancelled, because of the imminent re-organisation.

Mr Thomas said: “I am concerned at the speed at which the government appears to be wishing to drive these changes through.

“While personally I’m in favour of reducing bureaucracy and would favour unitary authorities, it does present issues.

“If the changes are rushed through without the KCC elections taking place in May, then where is the mandate for this?”

Mr Thomas was sceptical of the value of replacing Maidstone Borough Council with a town council.

“Without it having substantive powers, people would not be getting any betterment.

“It could just add another level of bureaucracy and extra cost.

“After all, Tovil, with its parish council, was unable to prevent the borough council imposing a highly unwelcome housing development on it in the last Local Plan - 250 homes at Abbeygate Farm.

“Why would a town council be more successful battling a unitary authority?”

Care needs to be taken that a new town council doesn’t just mean increased costs

Mr Thomas said: “It would be better to wait until a unitary authority is in place and see how that pans out, before taking a decision to create any more councils.”

He pointed to the recent example of changes to the parish and ward boundaries at the 2024 May elections.

He said: “South Ward was split, becoming Tovil in one part, with the North Loose becoming part of Loose and Linton.

“A lot of the residents in North Loose were unaware that they would also end up paying the Loose Parish Council precept, when previously they paid none.

“Care needs to be taken that a new town council doesn’t just mean increased costs to born by the electorate.”