West Kent councils to form new unitary authority under Government reorganisation plans
Please find below the latest news from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council.
West Kent councils to form new unitary authority under Government reorganisation plans
Government ministers have decided Kent and Medway will be served by four councils from April 2028, in the biggest shake up of local authority arrangements in 50 years.
The government is replacing Kent County Council, Medway Council and the 12 district, borough and city councils that currently deliver services in the county with four new unitary councils.
Those councils will deliver all the services in their area, much like Medway Council does today, including education, social services, highways, libraries, emptying bins, leisure centres and housing services.
Following a government consultation which attracted around 3,000 responses, the Secretary of State has opted for 4b:
- a unitary council covering the areas currently served by Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west.
- A unitary council covering Dartford, Gravesham and Medway in the north.
- A unitary council covering Swale, Ashford and Folkestone and Hythe in the centre of Kent.
- A unitary council covering Canterbury, Thanet and Dover in the east.
Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Matt Boughton says:
“We welcome ministers’ decision to move forward with a four unitary council model for Kent and Medway. Throughout this process, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has consistently supported an approach based on strong independent evidence that offers the best balance of high-quality, cost-effective services and alignment with local communities. We will now continue to work constructively with partners to ensure a smooth transition and the best possible outcomes for our residents.”
In a statement, Kent and Medway’s council leaders said: “We want to reassure our residents that not one of our services will change overnight – you will still be dealing with the same council staff tomorrow and the day after that. The new councils will come into effect from 1 April 2028.
“All of the councils in Kent and Medway have a long history of working closely together to do the very best for the people we serve and that will not change one bit.
“This is the start of the process of bringing our different teams together with the aim of designing then delivering the best possible services for the people we serve. Of course, this change affects the thousands of council staff across the county who work incredibly hard day in and day out. Our focus will be supporting them through this change while helping them to carry on delivering our business-as-usual services seamlessly.
“There is a lot of work to do but we will make sure we take every opportunity to make our services the very best they can be.”
Read the background to local government reorganisation:-https://kentcouncilleaders.org.uk/