Halloween's over, but Sevenoaks is still haunted by a ghost council

10 Nov 2026

Halloween may be over, but Sevenoaks is still haunted. Our District Council has become a ghost authority: it still exists on paper, but it has ground to a halt.

The council's crucial Improvement and Innovation Advisory Committee has been cancelled for the second meeting in a row because of a "lack of business". No tricks, no treats, just an empty committee room. A council with no business to discuss is not a council doing its job.

A spooky silence on key projects

This is happening while major projects affecting our District are still live, including the future of our leisure centres, the £130m Sevenoaks town centre redevelopment, Spitals Cross in Edenbridge and Bevan Place in Swanley. Residents and councillors are getting little or no updates at all on these key projects. If there is nothing to discuss, either nothing is happening or nobody wants it discussed. Neither is acceptable.

A council in limbo

In July, the Government confirmed Sevenoaks District Council would be abolished and replaced by a new West Kent council from April 2028. In September, that plan was paused for a review. The council has been left drifting, with no sense of direction and no idea how long it will last.

No majority, no mandate

The Conservatives lost their majority in May 2025 after splits and infighting. Since then, the Administration has shown no grip and no ambition. Now it seems unable even to fill an agenda.

What we're calling for

Sevenoaks Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative administration to:

Restart proper scrutiny meetings and stop cancelling committees
Publish regular progress reports on the leisure centres, the £130m town centre redevelopment, Spitals Cross and Bevan Place
Consult the public and councillors before irreversible decisions are taken on major projects while the Council's future is uncertain

The people of Sevenoaks get their say in May 2027. Until then, it's time this ghost council stopped haunting our town and started doing its job.

The lights are on at Sevenoaks District Council, but there's no one at home. Committees are being cancelled for lack of business while residents are left in the dark on the major projects that matter to them. Residents across the district deserve better
Cllr Alan Leaman, Leader, Lib Dem Group, Sevenoaks District Council