Plans show a £60m council budget gap, despite tax rise

LEAKED FORECAST SHOWS REFORM-LED AUTHORITY'S LEVELS OF DEBT

- By STANLEY MURPHY-JOHNS Press Association

REFORM UK's flagship local authority's debt will increase by tens of millions of pounds, even if it puts up council tax by the maximum possible amount, according to a leaked forecast of next year's finances.

Kent County Council (KCC) was won by Reform at local elections in May, when their candidates promised to cut council spending and keep taxes low.

Soon after taking power, the administration set up an Elon Musk-style savings unit called the Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE).

A leaked slideshow for opposition councillors, seen by the Press Association, shows there is a £60m gap in KCC's finances for 2026-27.

Under the plans for next year set out by the previous Tory administration, that unresolved gap was £20.1m.

That plan, shown to a councillor in mid-November, also currently includes a full 5% increase in council tax, to keep the gap at £60m.

For a band D property in Kent, this would mean an increase of £84.56 per year from £1,691.19 in 2025-26 to £1775.75.