By Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Esson
Kent County Council’s new Reform UK leadership has requested a four-month extension to an “almost impossible” deadline for the reorganisation of local government.
Under the government’s plans, Kent is set to see the largest shakeup since current authorities were created in 1974.
Currently under the ‘two-tier’ system, the county has 12 district and borough councils, which split responsibility for public services with the overarching KCC.
For example, district and borough councils are responsible for getting bins collected, but the county council is responsible for disposing of the waste by running tips.
Medway Council is an entirely separate unitary authority, and runs all of its services itself.
However, under the new plans, all of these councils will be abolished entirely, and Kent is set to be split into three or four large unitary authorities.
These will also pool some limited overall powers into a “combined authority” covering the whole county, which will be led by a directly elected mayor of Kent and Medway.
Kent’s 14 local authorities were told in March they had to agree on the model for how the county will look by this winter.
‘Extend the date’
But the new county council leader, Cllr Linden Kemkaran, has asked the government today for more time.
“I do not consider my new Reform KCC administration bound by the interim plan proposals submitted by Kent councils and approved by my immediate predecessor,” she wrote.
That report from March detailed the different possible ways the county could be carved up into new councils, providing four models.
Her letter continued: “I appreciate the need for my new administration to have constructive discussions with district, borough and unitary council leaders across Kent and Medway to understand their position and thinking.
“This will take time and is a natural consequence of the outcome of the local elections which was not, I believe, fully factored in when the deadline for submissions was set for November 28.
“Appropriate engagement with residents on future local government structures in a county region of almost 1.9 million people is a huge undertaking, and to do it meaningfully will require time over the summer and early autumn to influence each council’s position, which makes the deadline of November 28 almost impossible to meet.
“I would therefore request you extend the date for the submission of full business cases for local government reorganisation in Kent and Medway to no earlier than March 31, 2026.
“If we are to rebuild public trust in our politics and political institutions, such important matters should be taken forward transparently and honestly with the residents we serve.”
‘Press on’
Some councils are going to be reformed sooner than others, and in February the previous Tory administration of KCC was notified it would not be in the first tranche.
However, Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, Cllr Antony Hook, is not convinced now is the time to change the schedule.
“The main thing is that we make it a much more democratic process,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
“I think we should try to press on and make what progress we can by November and if an extension is needed, perhaps October or November is the time to request it.
“Requesting it now looks quite premature, and people will suspect they’re trying to kick the can down the road.”
“There needs to be a series of events to involve the public and see if it’s something they want.
“It’s about transparency and accountability that’s the main thing that needs to change, the timetable is secondary.”
It’s early days for the Reform administration at KCC, and as yet they have not announced the creation of a new committee to discuss and decide on matters pertaining to the shake-up.
But as the largest opposition party, the Lib Dems chair the scrutiny committee.
“If the council refuses to create a local government reorganisation committee, then we will put it on the agenda of every scrutiny committee to make sure it’s discussed in public,” Cllr Hook added.
Kick the decisions down the road. I thought the new administration would get things done, not adopt the delaying tactics of past parties.
Like with the orange buffoon pal of his in the US, you were warned what he is & it should have been obvious from Nigel’s 30 plus years of populist grifts & lies like Brexit, that it is all purely to line his pockets & be the centre of attention.
Depeche Mode summed it up perfectly-confidence taken in, by a suntan & a grin. The grabbing hands, all they can. All for themsleves, after all.
All the hours of work that have already gone into this, officer time and councillor time, not just at KCC but every single District and City Council in Kent, plus Medway Unitary, Reform want to chuck out. Wasting time and money on re-doing all that work again, instead of getting their heads around what has already been negotiated. The only real gain in this is that the new Reform UK councillors at KCC get to hold on to their jobs for an extra year or two before having to stand for re-election.
If only your party hadn’t behaved worse than the Tories we wouldn’t have them Helen. You created the mess, so don’t cry about it.
Erm, you get what you vote for
Betcha wish you’d voted Green now!
Yup. Reform are keen to criticise local government officials and to waste time conducting performative Muskian audits but they can’t deliver their own proposals for change in a reasonable time frame. Not impressed.
Expect it all to fall apart like it has the last few days in the US with Trump & Musk’s inveitable inflated ego collision. Yusuf gone yesterday, Lowe & Habib previously. Many councillors gone as well-seems Nigel like his pal Trump just can’t get along with people-because everything has to revolve around him & there is no democracy in his limited companies-sorry political party.
Come on already. We’re all waiting for TDC to get abolished. Please don’t drag it out.
“I do not consider my new Reform KCC administration bound by the interim plan proposals submitted by Kent councils and approved by my immediate predecessor,” she wrote.
It doesn’t matter what you consider to be bound by thought does it? You won it, you knew the deal, so you should have been planning for it.
The Cult that just keeps giving ( taking & making £ ).
Rudderless and deliberately re-stacking the deckchairs on the Titanic .
Is a “cult” a misspelling?
There were no deckchairs on the Titanic,buy I understand the logic.
I might have more faith in Reform if they actually hold all the meetings they are supposed to have.One gets the impression that they are controlled from Reform HQ,or they were until Reform’s Chairman jumped ship.
The voters are in a destructive mood,and think destroying the incumbents will make things better,and like Brexit,moan when the opposite happens.Labour should have known better, and stuck to their ideals instead of toadying to the treasury.
In 1974 reorganisation was ordered and happened, but because of string pulling we ended up with TDC, because rural interests thought urban areas would dominate
Prevaricating and procrastinating is what we do best in Britain.
There were deckchairs on the Titanic and are sought after artefacts
No deckchairs, there were steamer chairs wooden chairs not canvass and wood as in a deck chair.Check it out.
Edwardian interpretations .
No Edward the 8th had died 2 years before the Titanic sank,and bearing she went down in 1912 and not 2025,Edwardian or Georgian interpretations are probably more valid than those of today.
This is going to end in tears, ours! Laughing boy Nige, is going more and more orange, and is the CEO of the Reform company, so no democracy there either. Bet man child Trump wished he had thought of that one, or perhaps he has!
Who did you vote for in the KCC elections?
What a strange world it is that you inhabit.
Reform are a bunch of time and money wasters. Useless comes to mind. The DOGE party up to there usual time wasting moments in history. They will die out in time when people realise what they are really like.