Folkestone and Hythe follows the south-east Kent coast and is centred on the towns of Folkestone and Hythe. It also includes surrounding coastal and rural communities extending toward Romney Marsh and the North Downs. Folkestone is the largest urban and transport centre, with a harbour, seafront and rail links toward London and the Channel Tunnel. Hythe provides a separate historic coastal town farther west. Beyond the main towns, the constituency includes villages, farmland, low-lying marshland and chalk hills, giving it a varied landscape. The English Channel defines the southern edge, while the constituency’s inland areas become increasingly rural.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Folkestone and Hythe, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population93,782
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationSouth East
Age profile
0 to 1718.7% · 17,543 people
18 to 246.1% · 5,698 people
25 to 3411.2% · 10,501 people
35 to 4917.3% · 16,196 people
50 to 6421.0% · 19,731 people
65 and over25.7% · 24,113 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
40,998 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners63.5% · 26,036 households
Private renters24.2% · 9,916 households
Social renters11.5% · 4,706 households
Other tenure0.8% · 340 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
41,002 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households34.0% · 13,959 households
Families with dependent children23.5% · 9,648 households
Other single-family households38.6% · 15,820 households
Other household types3.8% · 1,575 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
91,833 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot9.8% · 9,028 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little12.5% · 11,510 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act77.6% · 71,295 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 21 October 2026
Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases
Signatures in this constituency488
Signatures nationally105,312
Government response published · Debate scheduled for 19 October 2026
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded90
Total awarded£5,259,829
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 18 June 2026
Healthy Foundations: 8 Weeks to Thrive
Thrive By The Sea CIC
£19,160
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Thrive By The Sea CIC - Health & Wellbeing - National Lottery Awards for All England
National Lottery grantAwarded 15 June 2026
Scaling the heights of inclusivity: climbing in Folkestone
The Sports Trust
£14,953
Sport England · Sport
About this award
This project will provide additional equipment, staff training and route setting from the Association of British Climbing Walls and a structured youth development pathway. This will lead to an introduction of disability climbing. The funding will cover the costs of the training and equipment.
National Lottery grantAwarded 9 June 2026
Extension 2027-28: Creative Folkestone
Creative Folkestone
£434,614
Arts Council England · Arts
About this award
Extension 2027-28: Creative Folkestone - Combined arts - NPO 2023-26
South East of England - BFI Film Academy Hub 2026-2029
Screen South
£610,000
British Film Institute · Arts
About this award
BFI Film Academy is the BFI's flagship training programme for young people aged 16-25 who are looking to break into the screen industries. It offers a hands-on, collaborative filmmaking experience, with a strong focus on developing technical skills.
85 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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