The Devolution and Local Government Re-organisation Cabinet Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss an interim report on a public survey regarding local government reorganisation (LGR) and Kent County Council's (KCC) draft strategic business case for LGR in Kent and Medway. The meeting will also cover an update on the joint process for LGR business case development with Kent and Medway councils.

KCC's Draft Strategic Business Case for LGR

The committee will be asked to consider KCC's draft strategic business case for LGR in Kent and Medway. The report provides an overview of the business case and sets out the rationale for supporting a single unitary authority with three area assemblies.

The strategic business case has been developed through detailed internal analysis, independent financial modelling by KPMG, and participation in the joint Kent and Medway process. According to the report, the strategic business case is still a draft and subject to change, with some sections incomplete. These include the foreword by Linden Kemkaran, Leader of the Council, the final list of appendices, and the section on public and stakeholder engagement.

The report states that KCC remains committed to the joint process and has shared information and analysis with partner authorities. It notes that KCC has also considered evidence provided by other councils in shaping its proposal.

The report also sets out the administration's view that a single unitary authority for Kent and Medway is the only option that addresses the financial and operating challenges the county faces. The key reasons for supporting a single unitary are:

• Financial viability: Financial modelling undertaken by KPMG shows that a single unitary has lower transition costs, a shorter payback period, and is predicted to deliver greater savings.
• Disaggregation risks: Splitting up countywide, people-based services such as social care and SEND would incur significant costs and risk disruption and reductions in service quality.
• Unique geography: Kent's unique geography and border position means that maintaining countywide scale is critical.
• Disparities in deprivation: Operating as a single unitary means demand pressures, income and spend can be spread across the county.
• Legacy debt: Operating as a single unitary would ensure legacy debt is manageable by spreading it across the county.
• Local identity and public service reform: The geography of the proposed area assemblies in north, east and west Kent reflect sub-regional identities and are consistent with residents' travel to work, education and healthcare patterns.
• No guarantee of devolution: The creation of a single unitary ensures that there is an appropriate strategic vehicle for the county in the absence of a Mayoral Strategic Authority.

The report also details how the single unitary would work, including the governance structure and the responsibilities of the full council, the leader and cabinet, and the area assemblies.

The report notes that the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has advised a minimum of 30 Councillors and a maximum of 100 Councillors for new unitary authorities. The report states that research was undertaken to compare current unitary councils with higher ratios of people to councillors, and that taking the mid-point between KCC's current ratio and the Birmingham Council* figure provides a ratio of 15,874, which would give 118 councillors for the Kent and Medway population.

The report also sets out the high-level unitarisation costs for each of the different options, comparing the initial transition/implementation costs, the ongoing disaggregation costs, and the net recurring annual savings that can be unlocked through reorganisation.

The report notes that Local Government Reorganisation is a government-led process initiated by the Secretary of State, and that councils are therefore unable to stop or delay LGR.

A draft Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) has been undertaken on the proposed decision to submit a strategic business case to government to establish a single unitary authority for Kent and Medway. The draft EqIA identifies potential impacts for a number of protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

The report concludes that the KCC administration is clear that the only viable option for LGR in Kent and Medway is a single unitary authority.

The cabinet committee is asked to consider and comment on the proposed decision to approve and submit KCC's strategic business case for LGR in Kent and Medway.

Interim Report on KCC's Public Survey on LGR

The committee will be asked to note the interim findings from the public survey of residents on LGR.

The LGR Resident Survey was commissioned to ensure residents' views are included in the proposals. The interim report summarises responses from the first 14 days of fieldwork, with 1,652 residents participating from across Kent and Medway. The survey closes on Sunday 26th October, after which the full results will be analysed and a final report produced.

The report notes that there are mixed opinions in relation to whether people think that local government in Kent needs major reorganisation or not, and that there is not a clear strong preference for whether people would prefer a smaller, more local council or a larger, potentially more cost efficient council. However, there are differences by age group, with under 35s favouring a larger council, and those over 56 favouring a smaller council. Those aged 36-55 had balanced preferences.

The data indicates that the majority of people have a strong sense of belonging at all geographical levels from local village/town up to Kent as a whole.

Residents expect a broad range of competing priorities to be delivered, including quality, value-for-money, local representation and resident involvement.

There is a clear expectation that whatever option is taken forward must result in a system that costs less than continuing with the current one. However, within this context, some would be prepared to pay more council tax if it resulted in decisions being made more locally.

The cabinet committee is asked to note the views expressed by the respondents of the survey and that they will be included in KCC's final business case to Government.

Update on the Kent and Medway Joint Process for LGR Business Case Development

The committee will be asked to note the continued collaborative working between all 14 councils in Kent and Medway, the progress made on the business case development, and the commitment to continue working closely together up to 28 November 2025 submission date and beyond.

KPMG were appointed as Kent and Medway's strategic business partner for the initial phases of the work up until the November submission deadline following a joint procurement process.

The options selected by leaders to be part of the jointly funded process were:

• A three unitary option with a north, east and west unitary
• A four unitary option with unitaries in the north, west, centre and east

A further three options were selected by individual councils to proceed to full business case:

• A single unitary with three area assemblies (KCC supported)
• A four unitary option with unitaries in the north, west, centre and east, including boundary changes (Medway Council supported)
• A five unitary option, including boundary changes (supported by Dartford and Gravesham Councils)

The report notes that while there are five business cases being developed, the joint overarching process remains in place, with a shared evidence base, financial analysis, programme governance and communications, with key strands of narrative also shared between the business cases for the three, four and five unitary options.

The report states that Kent Council Leaders are scheduled to meet on 27 October 2025 where latest drafts of the business cases will be shared and any last comments or changes will be received. Final drafts will be published week commencing 03 November 2025 on the Kent Council Leaders website ahead of all 14 councils commencing their individual governance processes.

Following submission, it is likely there will be a period of several months until notice of the Minister's decision is received. In the interim, councils will collectively start to prepare for the next stage of the work, learning from areas of the country that have been through the process recently, to inform the extensive transition work that will be required to ensure services are safe and legal on day one of the new unitary council(s).