Your councils – change is coming
The government has asked councils in Kent and Medway to look at how they deliver services, and to consider doing things differently.
This is part of the biggest proposed change to local government in nearly 50 years. The aim is to replace the current two-tier system with a unitary council structure.
These councils would each serve around 500,000 people and be responsible for all local services in their area.
This process is known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
What could change?
At the moment, Kent County Council provides some services (like education, social care and highways), while we (your borough council) provides others, such as bin collections and planning.
Under the proposed changes, unitary councils would take on all of these responsibilities in one place, similar to how Medway Council already operates.
The government believes this would make things simpler for residents and more efficient overall.
If the changes go ahead, Kent County Council, Medway Council and the 12 district and borough councils would be replaced by a smaller number of new unitary councils.
Those new unitary councils could start delivering services from April 2028.
What’s happening now?
All the councils involved are working together to explore how this could work, including how many unitary councils there should be and what areas they would cover.
They’re being supported by independent advisors, KPMG, to make sure the plans meet government requirements and are backed by strong evidence.
A short survey has been set up to gather your views on LGR - click here to view the survey
What’s the timeline?
- 21 March 2025 – Kent and Medway submitted their initial plans to government.
- 28 November 2025 – Full proposals and a business case must be submitted.
After that, the government will decide how many unitary councils there should be and what areas they will cover.
If approved, the new councils could begin delivering services from April 2028.
On 15 May, the government provided feedback on our interim plan. Details of this can be found at Kent Council Leaders.
What about devolution?
In the future, the government would like to see a strategic mayoral authority for the whole of Kent, led by a directly elected mayor.
This would bring new powers and funding from central government to the local level, covering areas such as transport, infrastructure, health and the environment.
There are lots of examples of directly elected mayors across the country. They include Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (Lab), Mayor of Tees Valley Ben Houchen (Con) and Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns (Reform).
The strategic mayoral authority and the directly elected mayor would then be handed powers and the ability to spend money normally reserved for ministers and civil servants working in central government.
There’s no confirmed timeline for this yet.
What does this mean for you?
Right now, nothing is changing. Your services will continue as normal.
We’ll keep you updated as things progress.
Councils involved
- Ashford Borough Council
- Canterbury City Council
- Dartford Borough Council
- Dover District Council
- Folkestone & Hythe District Council
- Gravesham Borough Council
- Kent County Council
- Maidstone Borough Council
- Medway Council
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Swale Borough Council
- Thanet District Council
- Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Key milestones so far
- 16 Dec 2024 – Government publishes its English Devolution White Paper
- 10 Jan 2025 – Kent and Medway councils request to join the Devolution Priority Programme
- 5 Feb 2025 – Government invites Kent and Medway to prepare an interim plan
- 21 Mar 2025 – Interim plan submitted
- 15 May 2025 – Government provides feedback
- 10 Jul 2025 – English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill published
- 25 Jul 2025 – Government outlines the reorganisation process