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A calendar of all meetings and the latest published agendas are available here.
Public meetings are held at Lenham Community Centre, Groom Way, Lenham, ME17 2QT
June 2026
Local Government Reorganisation / Devolution
We are expecting the preferred format for local government reorganisation of Kent and Medway will soon be confirmed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed.
This is the first major reorganisation of how local government works since the 1970s.
In Kent, with the exception of Medway which is already a Unitary Authority, we have three layers of local government: Kent County Council (which deals with major issues like roads, social care and education) and 12 borough / district councils (which among other things deal with planning, housing, and rubbish collection) and then parish / town councils which work at a much more local level and in the case of Lenham we manage play areas, toilets, cemeteries, picnic areas, allotments, sports fields and, of course, the Lenham Cross.
The current plans for reforming how local government works will mean that all the functions of the county council and the borough / district councils will be amalgamated forming Unitary Authorities (as Medway is currently). The decision to be made is the format of the new Unitary Authorities. Will these simply merge several borough councils into one larger area, or will this be an opportunity to step back and take a fresh look at how populations and settlements have evolved since the 1970s, rather than simply lump together existing borough boundaries. There are five different submissions in front of the Secretary of State, that is the decision he will be weighing up.
Curiously, the legislation is “silent” on the role of parish and town councils, in Maidstone borough there are 41 parished areas with 37 elected parish councils. This is an issue which I and my colleagues in other parishes have been raising since the details became available. Currently, there is little additional feedback but, through our county and national representatives (Kent Association of Local Councils / the National Association of Local Councils) these questions are being raised at a strategic level. So, we will have to see what emerges as the detail becomes clearer.
What we understand is, if one of the five options presented to the Secretary of State is selected, elections for the new Unitary Authorities, in whatever format is decided, will take place in May 2027. Once elected, the new authorities will exist in “shadow form” for 12 months, with the day-to-day organisation remaining with the county and borough / district councils during this “shadow” period. Then, in May 2028 all aspects of local government will transfer from the county and borough / district councils to the new Unitary Authorities, and the current county and borough / district councils will cease to exist. Medway, which is already a Unitary Authority will be reconfigured into a new, probably larger, authority, the format of which is part of the overall decision for the Kent / Medway area.
Once formed the new Unitary Authorities will be working through the usual government channels unless a decision is taken to then go for “devolution”.
If that decision is agreed, then all the Unitary Authorities covering Kent will come together to create an overarching structure known as a Mayoral Combined Authority. There are presently 11 MCAs in England and one of the ambitions of the current reform of local government is to create an environment where more such arrangements are possible.
If achieved, this process would devolve budgets from central government to the directly elected Mayoralty which will then have greater autonomy and responsibility for how funds are allocated at a local / regional level. So Local Government Reform and Devolution are not the same although they are linked.
Once we have a clearer understanding of the detail the parish council will make sure that is shared widely.
Parish Precept
The parish council has agreed an increase of 3% in the Parish Precept for the financial year 2026/27. This is slightly below inflation figures and addresses increases in the costs of providing the services for which the parish council is responsible. A “band D” property will pay £145.70 for the precept in this financial year, that’s the equivalent of £2.80 a week.
The budget for 2026/27 is higher than the income the precept will deliver, this is because the parish council has offset the income it is projecting to receive against the budget it has set, thus reducing the precept requirement (which covers the difference).
The budget for 2026/27 is now available here.
The former Marley site
The former site occupied for many years by Marley and more recently by Aliaxis has now changed ownership and is in the hands of Panattoni. If this name is unfamiliar to you that’s possibly no surprise, however Panattoni is one of the larger construction companies in the UK and recently brought the former Aylesford Newsprint site back into operation by completely rethinking the usage. It is now turning attention to the largely redundant former Marley Works.
There is now a dedicated website www.Panattoni-MarleyWorks.co.uk which will provide you with an introduction to the company, the site and its history and offer you an opportunity to comment of the potential plans.
Heathlands - Public consultation on the Outline Planning Application (OPA)
You may have been notified of further public consultations relating to Heathlands, this time dealing with the Outline Planning Application (OPA). This is being led by Homes England and many will have received a flier in the post (at home) and seen postings on local social media.
We have been to the consultation briefings and, apart from some new boards explaining the likely roll-out of the development, there is little new information available. None of the pressing questions have responses, there is no news on the requirement for a new station or how the critical infrastructure will be delivered. It will rely on S106 arrangements to fund and deliver the necessary infrastructure and, as we know from the experience at Chilmington Green, that is fraught with loop-holes.
We await the second "consultation" in the autumn which we are promised will have more of the issues resolved.
Parish Council meetings
I would like to remind everyone that all our meetings are held in public and there are always opportunities for parishioners to ask questions or raise issues at all the public meetings.
They all take place in the Lenham Community Centre, and they all start at 7:30pm.
Each month we hold a full council meeting (always the first Wednesday of the month), then there is a dedicated planning meeting, usually on a Wednesday around the middle of the month, and finally a finance meeting on the last Monday of the month (although this gets moved around when a Bank Holiday is due).
Agendas are published on our website, all planning applications in the parish can be seen there as well.
If you want to raise something ahead of a meeting please drop into the Parish Office, at 1A High Street, and speak to the Parish Clerks – they will be happy to speak to you, and the Parish Office is open 10:00 – 13:00 Tuesday - Thursday.
It's your parish council, please come and find out what is going on!
… and finally
Now the new storage facility at the revamped public toilets is up and running, the “parish lock up” is clear and the Tourism Group will be looking for ideas about how to use this unusual building, in the heart of the village, to better effect. Look out for posts on local social media about how to share your ideas.
We are also keen to get ideas for the redundant red telephone box close to the library in the square - see the parish's social media postings for that one!
Cllr John Britt
Chair - Lenham Parish Council
What does Lenham Parish Council do?
Parish Councils are the tier of local government closest to the people. Although the parish council covers the Parish of Lenham it is not linked to the church in any way. All parish councillors are volunteers who dedicate their free time to enhancing their parish as best they can by utilising their individual skills and experience.
Those putting themselves forward to serve as a parish councillor have to submit to the regular election process, or, if filling a vacancy mid-term, can be co-opted for the remainder of that electoral term. Electoral terms are four years. The elections for a parish council will only go to a public vote if there are more nominations than there are spaces on the parish council. Lenham parish is currently represented by 13 parish councillors: four representing South Ward (everything south of the railway) and nine representing North Ward (everything north of the railway). All parish councillors have to agree to abide by the Nolan Principles of Public Office. Parish councillors receive no remuneration for their time.
The responsibilities of Lenham Parish Council include looking after open spaces, such as the William Pitt field and Cemetery, maintaining playgrounds and other amenities, providing Maidstone Borough Council with a view on planning applications within the Parish and undertaking projects to benefit the Parish. Lenham Parish Council also has a Neighbourhood Plan which was adopted as part of the Maidstone Local Plan in July 2021. This Neighbourhood Plan is active until 2031. For more details of the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan please refer to the information tab "Lenham Neighbourhood Plan" on this website.
In addition to holding a full council meeting monthly, Lenham Parish Council has two specific sub committees which also meet monthly: Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) and Planning and (Neighbourhood Plan) Implementation (P&I). Both these sub committees focus on specific issues of work and in some cases do the detail which is then referred back to full council as recommendations to be discussed and agreed.
Both of these sub committees are open to the public and can be attended by all parish councillors, however, while all nominated attendees and visiting parish councillors can participate in the discussions only those parish councillors nominated as attendees to that subcommittee are able to vote on recommendations that will go forward to the full parish council meeting for discussion and agreement.
Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP)
The F&GP subcommittee consists of six nominated parish councillors and addresses the financial issues which the parish council is responsible for: dealing with contracts for maintenance of open space; maintaining and upgrading play equipment and other financial matters as and when these arise. The committee oversees the preparation of the annual budget and also discusses all other non-expenditure related matters and makes a recommendation to the full parish council for discussion and agreement. The sub committee is quorate when at least four parish councillors, including the Chair, are present.
Planning and (Neighbourhood Plan) Implementation (P&I)
The P&I subcommittee consists of six nominated parish councillors as well as three members of the public (who are non-voting) and the parish's planning consultant (also non-voting). The subcommittee carries out two important functions: it is a statutory consultee for all planning applications in the parish and it is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan ensuring that the parameters and policies within the plan are actioned and reflected in the parish responses to planning applications. All recommendations from the subcommittee are referred to the next full meeting of the parish council for ratification. The subcommittee is quorate when at least four parish councillors, including the Chair, are present.
Our Mission Statement
The Lenham Parish Council (LPC) is dedicated to enhancing the lives of all the residents of Lenham and its surrounding hamlets. LPC aims to maintain and protect the Parish environment and amenities. LPC strives to be pro-active in identifying and completing projects, large and small, that will benefit the Parish as a whole, with value for money always being sought. LPC aims to help keep Lenham Parish a unique and special place for residents and visitors alike as the world around us changes.
Council Officers:
Parish Clerk & RFO: Lisa Westcott
Contact details Email: clerk@lenhamparishcouncil.org.uk Telephone: 01622 829034
Deputy Parish Clerk & RFO: Sarah Newell
Contact details Email: deputyclerk@lenhamparishcouncil.org.uk Telephone: 01622 829034
Registered office: 1A High Street, Lenham, Kent ME17 2QD Open: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00h - 13:00