KCC budget agreed amid concern over £1bn debts

Cabinet back ‘difficult’ spending plans for financial year

Kent County Council’s £1.5 billion draft budget for the next financial year has been widely supported by its cabinet.

About £107m of spending demands have been forecast over the 12-month period from April 2020 to March 2021, which will require £34m of savings to be made.

It was described as a “difficult budget” by KCC’s cabinet member for finance, Peter Oakford (Con), who said the county council faces a “debt mountain” of £1bn.

KCC’s leader, Cllr Roger Gough (Con), told his nine cabinet colleagues that the county council requires more government aid to finance key services, particularly £85m of highways improvements over the next three years.

Speaking during a cabinet meeting at Maidstone’s County Hall, he added: “If we do not get government support we will face a difficult choice between a scale of borrowing which is unsustainable or an unacceptable deterioration of our highways, particularly rural roads.”

Cllr Gough’s comments come despite a government pledge to provide an extra £18.9m to KCC for the next financial year - marking the highest grant increase in more than a decade.

KCC’s other key spending areas include £543m towards adults and older people’s services, around 40% of the total budget, while children’s social care will receive a £187m boost. Borrowing is likely to continue at £118m.

About £41m will be invested into highways over the next financial year while school services will be boosted by an extra £20.6m. A total of £86.3m is expected to go towards transport services.

A final decision on KCC’s budget will be made by full council on February 13.

The full council at County Hall will vote on the budget, approved last week by KCC leader Roger Gough’s cabinet, on February 13