Extra funding for local government

As a result of Kent County Council’s success in becoming one of the government’s business rate pilots next year and their proposal to take up the government’s option to increase council tax by 1%, KCC are proposing to:

• Substantially reduce the savings proposed on subsidised bus travel from £2.25 million to £0.45 million. KCC believe there are smarter, more responsive ways to deliver these services. The Council intend to arrange a whole series of big conversations with parish councils and communities on how this can be delivered. The proposed budget sees an additional investment of £500,000 to fulfil these ambitions.
• Continue the £8.7 million subsidy provided through the Young Persons Travel Pass.
• An additional £7.5 million capital investment in maintaining Kent’s roads including pothole repairs.
•  Protect Kent’s most vulnerable children and adults with a total increase in the budget of £16 million.

Before the budget is agreed committees within the council will scrutinise the plans being made for individual directorates and the budget will be finalised at the county council meeting on 20 February.

• Since 2010 and up to the end of the current financial year Kent County Council will have delivered savings of £591 million. We have another £53 million in the plans for 2018/19.
• The proposed budget assumes all asylum costs incurred by KCC will be met by government.
• The amount their central government funding has reduced since 2010 to the end of the current financial year is £238 million, with a further £31 million reduction in 2018/19. The savings we need to make to balance the grant reductions and the rising costs and increasing demand – only partially offset by council tax increases.
• Spending on social services now accounts for over half KCC’s spending – adults spending is 44% and children’s is 12%.
• The referendum limit is being increased because of rising inflation to 3%.