Maidstone council news
Maidstone council news, newest first: decisions, budgets, council tax, bins and services, each linked to the council's own papers.
Top story
Granville Road, Maidstone: 40 Council Flats Handed Over
Maidstone council has taken 40 affordable-rent flats at Britannia House and Earl's House, Granville Road: 24 one-beds, 16 two-beds, tenants moving in soon.
More stories
Community
Maidstone Community Grants: 18 Groups Share £48,000
Street Pastors, Age UK and a new run club are among 18 Maidstone groups sharing £48,000 in council grants. See who got what, and when the next rounds open.
Elections
Maidstone Town Council Election: Early Vote Pilot Approved
Councillors have approved a pilot letting Maidstone town voters vote early on Saturday 1 May 2027 at a town-centre hub. Government orders and the venue are to come.
Council
Maidstone Village Hall Solar Fund of £110,000 Approved
Cabinet approved a £110,000 fund on 21 October for solar panels, batteries and EV chargers on village halls, parish buildings and schools. Bids open later.
Health
Maidstone East Health Hub: NHS Rent-Free Lease Approved
Cabinet agreed on 21 October to lease all 1,863 sq m of Maidstone East's commercial space to the NHS rent-free for a health hub, with the NHS paying the works.
Mote Park
Maidstone Park Events: Mote Park Keeps 5 Loud Gigs a Year
Mote Park stays the only Maidstone site allowed loud music events, up to five a year, and six more parks and squares get music caps. Cabinet approved it 21 Oct.
Town centre
Earl Street Maidstone: Pedestrian Zone Design Approved
Cabinet backed the Earl Street design on 21 October: a timed pedestrian zone, a Theatre Square outside the Hazlitt and trees. A builder is sought next.
Environment
Maidstone Nature Reserves: 12 Sites Approved, 101 Hectares
Walderslade Woods, Hollingbourne Meadows, Senacre Woods and nine more sites will go to Natural England as Local Nature Reserves after Cabinet approved them.
Park Wood
Park Wood Pride in Place: £20m Plan Now Due January 2027
The 13-member board deciding how up to £20m is spent in Park Wood, Senacre, Shepway and Mangravet is named. Its 10-year plan now goes to government in January 2027.
Housing
Maidstone Council Housing: HRA Reopens After 22 Years
Maidstone has a council housing account again, first time since 2004: 56 to 103 homes in it, rents assumed at £148 a week, and how far off 1,000 homes it is.
Housing
Maidstone Council to Vote on Housebuilding Halt Over Water
Councillors vote on Wednesday on asking ministers for a housebuilding moratorium until water firms guarantee supply. Residents can put questions until Monday.
Planning
Maidstone Planning Call-In Ends 31 October: Who Decides Now
Parish and councillor call-in to Maidstone's Planning Committee ends on 31 October. Two people will decide in private which applications get a public hearing.
Council
InfoZone Maidstone Family Hub Faces Closure: Say by 17 Nov
Kent County Council wants to shut the InfoZone Family Hub at 3 Palace Avenue, citing £450,000 of repairs and signs of subsidence. Comments close 17 November.
Housing
Maidstone Springfield Library Flats: £37m Deal, £219m Notice
Hill's contract for 103 council flats on Maidstone's Springfield library site was £37.45m in February. A notice filed on 22 September puts stage one at £219m.
Environment
Maidstone Potholes Filled With Recycled Clothes: 5 Repaired
Two potholes in Mote Park and three at Penenden Heath have been filled with a material made from old clothes. Kent County Council roads are not in the trial.
Council
Maidstone Dog Rules Renewed, £100 Fine Cap Removed
Dog rules run on from 20 October, but the £100 cap on fixed penalties has gone from the new order. Maidstone town centre had no begging order for three weeks.
Maidstone
False Chinch Bugs, Maidstone: Harmless, and No Treatment
Maidstone Borough Council says the insects swarming homes in Fant do not bite, spread disease or damage buildings, and that it has no way to treat or enforce.
Lockmeadow
Lockmeadow Market: Cabinet Re-Approves Plan to End It
Scrutiny asked Cabinet to spare the Tuesday and Saturday markets. On 16 September it approved the same plan again. The consultation closes 19 October.
Housing
Maidstone Affordable Homes: 43 New Flats Handed to Council
Maidstone Borough Council has taken 43 new affordable-rent flats at Wilberforce House and Len Martin Court. Where they are, what they offer, what comes next.
Maidstone
Lockmeadow Consultation: 5 Drop-ins, Closes 19 October
Maidstone council wants views on Lockmeadow's future, and the survey closes on 19 October. Five drop-in sessions run from 23 September, with dates and times.
Maidstone
Maidstone Council Scorecard: 761 Homes, 47% Recycled
The council's own 2025/26 report: 761 new homes against a 1,000 target, recycling at 47.09%, and a 514-day average wait for a one-bed council home.
Council
Maidstone Budget: £13.9m of Building Work Slips to 2027
Maidstone expects to leave £13.9m of its £45.5m capital budget unspent. Archbishop's Palace, Earl Street and the leisure centre works all slip to 2027/28.
Housing
Maidstone Council Housing Returns: 56 Homes, 1 October
Maidstone will be a council landlord again from 1 October, 22 years after it handed its housing stock to what is now Golding Homes. It starts with 56 homes.
Environment
Maidstone Litter Reports: Boxley Downs Tops Every Ward
The council's own table puts Boxley Downs top on 108 litter reports in a year, ahead of High Street. A £100,000 rural litter team is not being recommended.
Environment
Maidstone Gum Litter: £19,000 Grant Won for a Second Year
Maidstone Borough Council has secured over £19,000 to scrub gum off pavements for a second year running. The 86% figure it cites is shared with Cambridge.
Council
Maidstone Developer Money: Where the £13m Is Going
Cabinet split £13,017,345 of developer levy across eight projects on 22 July. The hospice takes £3.53m, a new town park £3.9m, and a village cricket pavilion nothing.
Council
Maidstone Women's Safety: £250,000 and Eight Resident Asks
37 residents, chosen from 109 applicants, wrote eight recommendations on violence against women and girls. Cabinet backed the resulting plan on 22 July with £250,000.
Council
Maidstone Council to Be Abolished in April 2028
Maidstone Borough Council and KCC will be replaced by West Kent Council on 1 April 2028. Shadow elections fall on 6 May 2027. Councillors vote on 1 September.
Bins
Maidstone Christmas Bin Collections: 2026 Dates Not Out Yet
Maidstone has not published its 2026 Christmas bin dates. Last year crews started at 5am on Christmas Eve, rounds shifted to 12 January and garden bins paused.
Recycling
Maidstone Tip Opening Times: Tovil and Allington, 8am to 4.30pm
Maidstone's two tips, Tovil and Allington, open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sundays. You must book a slot; vans need a voucher.