Kent County Council asks residents for ideas over £50m shortfall

A council is asking residents for suggestions for how funds could be spent in the next financial year.

The appeal comes after Kent County Council (KCC) announced it was facing a shortfall of £50m for the 2026-27 period.

The Reform UK-led authority said that “difficult money-saving decisions will be necessary”.

But opposition councillors believe that the figure could be much higher.

The council, which according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service is in financial peril due to years of squeezed funding and soaring costs, must set a balanced budget by law.

It wants to hear about which services residents wish to protect, how savings could be made and suggestions for how it could generate more income as part of its consultation exercise.

As the country’s largest local authority with a population of 1.6m, excluding Medway, it receives about £2.6bn, with a net income of £1.4bn.

The council has been trying to find ways of reducing high-spend areas, such as the near £100m bill for special needs pupils’ home-to-school transport, to drive down overall costs.

The previous Conservative administration warned that the income did not match its outgoings, especially since adult social care bills continue to rise each year.

Deputy leader, Brian Collins (Reform UK), said its priority was “to achieve financial stability”.

“Our Department for Local Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been working since day one in May, and is working to identify areas of waste,” he said.

“So far we have seen a new approach to potholes and a review of home-to-school transport bills. This work continues at pace.”

Conservative former deputy finance cabinet member Harry Rayner said: “I suspect the £50m shortfall mentioned by the new administration would appear, to me, to be on the low side.

“It will face the same difficulties we faced and that councils are facing all over the country.”