A bid to keep Stocks Mill in Wittersham under the control of the Kent County Council (KCC) has failed. It’s one of eight historic windmills still owned by the council – including Union Mill in Cranbrook and Davidson’s Mill in Stelling Minnis.
Opposition members Councillors Sarah Hudson and Claudine Russell (Conservatives), supported by the Green group leader Councillor Mark Hood, “called in” a decision to continue the “divestment” of the landmarks to save £150,000 a year. They wanted KCC to set up a Kent Windmills Trust (KWT) to run the eight sites.
“The eight mills are not relics of a forgotten age,” said Councillor Hudson. “They are landmarks of ingenuity, resilience, and community spirit. For centuries, these mills shaped the landscape of Kent and powered the lives of the people who lived here. They fed communities, supported local economies, and became enduring symbols of rural life and craftsmanship. To preserve these windmills is not an act of nostalgia. It is an investment in culture, education, tourism, and future generations.”
A proposal in March by a cabinet committee to set up a KWT to co-ordinate the future management of Kent’s windmills and support volunteer groups in the day-to-day running of them was rejected by the council’s executive last week.
Reform UK KCC deputy leader Councillor Brian Collins said the council would “fully support” the setting up of individual societies which would care for the windmills and insisted “all options” would still be considered. “This is not something that is going to be sorted out in a few weeks and may be going on into next year,” he said.
The decision to divest KCC of the windmills was originally taken in August 2024 by the then Conservative administration, before Reform UK came into office in May last year
Image Credits: Ron Strutt CC .