‘Difficult’ spending choices face council
Liberal Democrat groups have criticised the move.
Cllr John Burden (Lab) said the roadmap was merely a “cover for cuts” and urged caution over making decisions so quickly.
Cllr Ida Linfield (Lib Dem) said she worried that the decisions would rest in the hands of KCC’s Conservative cabinet rather than the 81 elected members. However, one cabinet member, Cllr Sue Chandler (Con) dismissed this and said: “We cannot stand still in a vacuum. It would be foolish to wait. We have to start somewhere.”
She added that there would be extensive consultation with Kent residents prior to any decisions made while councillors would be involved in talks over key priorities for the council over the next two months.
Cllr Oakford hit out at opposition members for complaining about executive power lying with the Conservative administration. He said: “We are democratically elected to make decisions in the best interest of Kent residents.”
However, KCC’s main opposition leader Cllr Rob Bird (Lib Dem) expressed fears that some councils will “throw in the towel” and said: “Once again the most vulnerable are likely to be hit by service cuts.”
Around 1.6 million people live in Kent and amid the Covid-19 crisis, KCC has said the council is facing a multitude of challenges. A KCC paper says: “Our companies have been a key asset in our response to Covid-19 from the seamless transition to remote working to the purchasing of PPE directly from manufacturers.”
A longer term budget will be shaped to 2021-22 and beyond as the county council prepares for “challenging decisions” during a meeting in October.