Residents have had service cuts year on year, claim

Opposition parties said the budget would leave residents paying more for less.

Labour group leader Cllr Gordon Cowan said: “People are prepared to pay small increases, provided they are there to protect frontline services. But the problem here is at Kent County Council, year on year, residents have had service cuts.”

Ukip had argued the council tax increase was too high.

Spokesman Cllr Brian McDowall said: “The government is effectively telling councils to tax in accordance with what they want to do and getting us to do their dirty work for them.”

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Trudy Dean said: “We cannot support a budget that involves the government taking an axe to public services. The government’s failure to plan for these services means we have a very, very high-risk budget.”

Green county councillor Martin Whybrow said KCC should, like Surrey, threaten to have a referendum.

“I hope there is a waking-up at government to the chasm that is opening up in adult care.

“It is a chasm that more and more people are falling into. I don’t think anyone believes that elderly people are not in a worse situation than they were four years ago.”