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Ask the Leader

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What steps is the Council taking to tackle deprivation?

Date: Thursday 5, February 2026

Name: Mr C

Following the release of the latest Indices of Multiple Deprivation, it is clear that there are pockets of Faversham experiencing some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country. The data indicates that a key driver locally is barriers to employment. Can the Leader please set out what funding, programmes, or practical support Swale Borough Council currently has available (directly or via partners) to improve employability, skills, and access to work for residents in these areas—and what additional steps the Council is considering to help tackle deprivation linked to employment barriers?

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Dear Mr C

The councils Empowering You in Swale Strategy aims to direct services within 4 priority delivery areas, including Priority 1, Creating skilled, educated and working communities. This work includes delivery of strategic collaboration with partners from DWP, ICB & Public Health, the local voluntary and community sector, schools, education systems and many wider partners to target resources and funding where it is needed, all underpinned by evidence such as the IOMD data and various other data sources.

 Read the full strategy: Strategies and policies - Empowering You in Swale

 Specific projects delivered include (funded by UK Shared Prosperity Fund), multiple organisations in Swale to deliver targeted projects to support those furthest away from the job market to build confidence, resilience and increase learning and skills (see attached report. In addition, dedicated UKSP funding is provided to support young people in the borough who are Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET) to develop the confidence and skills to either return to education or seek work.

 Swales Cost of Living Group, has a long standing record of delivering collaborative work across the borough to tackle poverty, including collaboratively delivering the Household Support Fund, One Swale Roadshows, targeted benefit uptake campaigns, and a variety of other interventions and work.

 We are a Marmot Coastal Program location and are working closely with our partners in health to support wider links for skills and work through and the wider determinants of health. In November last year we held a Youth Democracy Event which successfully engaged young people from across the borough and promoted a variety of work and skills programs including apprenticeships, work experience and a wider understanding of the council and its role.

We continue to seek new and innovative options to work at a county and local level including linking to strategies such as the Get Kent & Medway Working Strategy, Work & Health Strategy and schemes such as Connect to work and Wider Access Demonstrator Program.

You can download the Swale Voluntary Alliance People and Skills final report.

Flag displays in Faversham

Date: Saturday 6, September 2025

Name: Mrs P

I would like to ask when the flags will be removed from around Faversham town centre - they are not representative of many Faversham residents and have been put up without authorisation. They are fostering an atmosphere of hate and create an unwelcoming vibe for locals and visitors alike.

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Thank you for writing to share your concerns. I want to assure you that both I and the Borough Council are very aware of the issue of flags being raised in Faversham and across our borough and we fully understand the strength of feeling this has caused in our community. Let me be clear, Faversham is a welcoming town, and there is no place here for racism, hate, or intimidation of any kind. What you describe here does not in anyway represent what we want for our town or wider borough.

In this particular case, majority of the flags have been placed on a lampposts, or highway assets and the responsibility lies with Kent County Council as the highways authority. I will raise the matter with them as they are the body able to take direct action regarding unauthorised use of their infrastructure.

In terms of Swale Borough Council matters, Graffiti in public spaces will continue to be managed in line with our existing policy. Offensive graffiti will be removed within 48 hours of being reported, either by our Environmental Response Team (ERT) or through a case raised with our contractors Suez, depending on the location and severity.

Flags in conservation areas are not subject to additional controls beyond the standard regulations, such as restrictions on the height of any characters displayed
Flags placed on council-owned assets may be removed on a case-by-case basis, particularly if they pose a safety risk or obstruct CCTV cameras
Flags flown on council buildings or flagpoles such as the Union Flag at Swale House will remain unchanged. These are only altered for specific occasions, such as St George’s Day or significant national events like major sporting achievements or war commemorations

It is also worth highlighting that where flags are erected on private property we have no jurisdiction over them unfortunately.

I want to acknowledge the personal impact this situation is having on our residents including yourself. No one should feel embarrassed, unsafe, or unwelcome in their own town. Our priority is to work with partners to restore confidence in Faversham as a safe and inclusive place for everyone and in closing I want to thank you again for raising your concerns and for speaking up about the values that truly reflect our community.