Swale Borough Council

Swale Borough Council (SBC) have announced that they "will be providing housing for in-need families while regenerating Sittingbourne’s Town Centre, thanks to funding from Homes England". 

The council will be creating 51 new high-quality affordable homes on a former car park in Cockleshell Walk, Sittingbourne for local people.

All homes will be classed as Social Rented homes meaning the rent will be around half of the cost of similar privately rented apartments in the area.  

The public toilets in the Central Avenue Car Park are set to be fully refurbished as Swale Borough Council continues its work to regenerate Sittingbourne’s town centre.

The work will upgrade the well-used toilets, repairing the roof, renovating the windows, refurbishing the cubicle doors and toilets, and installing new energy-efficient LED lighting. The walls and flooring will be repaired or replaced, and a new ceiling will be installed.

Works to install over 200 solar panels on Swale Borough Council’s offices have begun.  

The 105-Kilowatt peak (kWp) solar panel system is capable of producing electricity equivalent to almost half of Swale House’s annual power needs.

This will significantly reduce Swale Borugh Council’s energy bill, whilst also improving its carbon footprint.  

During peak sunlight hours, the extra energy produced will be sold back to the grid, further reducing costs and emissions. 

Waste carriers were targeted earlier this month (Thursday 5th February) as part of a new regular crackdown on fly-tipping in the borough. 

 Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police’s Community Safety Unit (CSU) to tackle suspected fly-tipping, collect evidence, and take enforcement action for waste related crimes. 

Officers stopped and searched vehicles transporting waste, checking their paperwork, and gathering evidence for further investigation, including serial numbers of unlawfully transported car parts.

Nominations are now open to recognise the contributions of community heroes here in Swale.

The Mayor’s Civic Award is asking for people to nominate hidden heroes who work to help others across the borough. 

Nominees can come from all ages and backgrounds; they just need to have made a difference to their local community and live in Swale.

The nominations are open until Tuesday 31st March and the winners will be selected by the Mayor of Swale, Cllr Karen Watson, and a panel of councillors.

Swale Borough Council has earned a national 'gold standard' for its work supporting residents facing domestic abuse.  

The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) awarded the council its top accreditation, highlighting its effective procedures for responding to abuse. 

This work is seen as a critical part of the council's services.

Domestic abuse is a factor in 22% of all homelessness cases the housing team manages, showing the complex challenges staff support residents with every day. 

The DAHA accreditation confirms the council's ability to: 

Swale Borough Council has voted to endorse a proposal that would see Swale join forces with Ashford and Folkestone & Hythe.

At a council meeting last night (Wednesday 19th November) councillors voted for option 4b, which would see Kent and Medway divided into four new unitary councils.

In the proposed system unitary councils would deliver all council services in one area, in the same way Medway Council currently operates.

The Public Inquiry stage of the Secretary of State's ‘call in’ of the proposed Highsted Park development has now concluded (wednesday 5th November 2025), almost a year since Swale Borough Council’s Planning Committee was set to determine the application.

The Public Inquiry was examining the two planning applications for a development of up to 8,400 homes to the south and east of Sittingbourne.  It is understood to be the longest inquiry for a housing-led scheme ever considered by the Planning Inspectorate.

Swale Borough Council (SBC) are consulting on their Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Lettings Policy and the consultation closes on Wednesday 17th December 2025.

The VCS Policy is extremly important to all local VCS Groups who use properities owned by the council, including us (106.9 SFM - Sittingbourne Community Radio) here at Swale House. Other VCS groups here in the building include SATEDA and Citizen's Advice Swale.

Swale Borough Council are urging residents can have their say on the future of the Kent Downs.

The Kent Downs National Landscape Team are working to update the management plan for this important designated National Landscape.

The management plan guide how the Kent Downs team: