Analysis – by political editor paul Francis

The reorganisation of local government is not the kind of issue to get voters giddy with excitement.

But make no mistake, this is an important moment for Kent and could be the start of a far-reaching reform of the way we get council services and the amount we pay for them.

The creation of some kind of super council for east Kent has been under debate for years but until recently, the door has been firmly shut on that debate.

However, the devolution agenda has given councils – at the encouragement of the government – the chance to propose different ways of collaborating. This is partly driven by the financial pressures that councils have been under for several years under the government’s austerity drive. But it is also about finding ways of improving services to residents who now have less tribal or political loyalty to the municipal authority that empties their bins or repairs their roads.

An east Kent council is a bit of an artificial construct, of course. And big is not necessarily better – a large council can be viewed as remote by residents.

But if it provides services efficiently and in a way that is considered value for money, most people won’t generally mind. And there should be the chance to secure better deals with contractors. The business case is, however, a little opaque on exactly when and how their council tax may be reduced. Indeed, some of the calculations make for alarming reading by suggesting some may, at least initially, see increases in their bills.

There is, of course, another agenda. The bolder option of merging to become a unitary authority.

That remains the ultimate goal but it was decided not to pursue it at this point, largely because the government was less keen on this than a “super district” option.

But with an expected population rise over the next decade, some see it as inevitable that the county council system will eventually come to an end.