Overview

• Adult social care lead Diane Morton said she expects a 5% increase next year, estimating roughly £50m in extra revenue to help balance the books.
• Senior Reform councillors conceded they have not found the large savings promised, saying services are already “down to the bare bones.”
• Reform’s national DOGE team led by Zia Yusuf has not conducted detailed work in Kent due to disputes over access to sensitive council data.
• Kent’s locally run DOLGE says it has identified about £40m of savings over four years, including scrapping a £30m home energy scheme and a new electric car fleet.
• About half of Kent’s £2.5bn annual budget goes to adult and children’s social care and SEN, with opposition figures attacking Reform over the likely tax rise and disputing claims about asylum‑related spending being in the council’s budget.