News Council reorganisation takes the next step

Kent and Medway’s councils have asked their advisors KPMG to look in more detail at two options for unitary councils and the areas they should cover, it was announced today (Friday 5 September).

The move comes after government ministers said they want councils in Kent and Medway to deliver their services in a different way.

In the biggest shake up of local government in 50 years, known as Local Government Reorganisation or LGR for short, they want to abolish existing councils and create a number of new unitary councils.

Unitary councils deliver all council services in the area they serve from education, social services and roads to emptying bins and providing housing services.

The options going forward are:

Three unitary councils consisting of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west and Ashford, Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe in the east.

Four unitary councils consisting of Dartford, Gravesham and Medway in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west; Ashford, Swale, and Folkestone and Hythe in the middle of Kent and Canterbury, Thanet and Dover in the east.

Individual councils can also choose to commission and submit business plans for other options.

Once KPMG and council staff have worked together to draw up business cases for each of the options, each council will go through its own decision-making process to decide which option it supports.

Business plans need to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by 28 November.

The final decision rests with ministers.

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