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Kent County Council's costs are not really “fixed". We’ve seen an increase in demand for some of our services and rising costs (driven by things like inflation and increased complexity of support packages) in excess of the funding available. Also, since 2010, the Council has had to respond to reductions in government funding and so has a greater reliance on local sources of funding (e.g. Council Tax). This pattern of real terms reductions has been a common theme for most councils. We have worked hard to make savings of over £777m during this period by doing the same for less money (efficiency) and by doing things differently (transformation).

Funding for our revenue budget comes from many sources. Nearly half of our budget (excluding schools) is made up of money we receive from Council Tax. You can find out more information about where our money comes from and what we spend it on, on our website.

The financial outlook for Kent County Council (KCC) is currently highly uncertain and in all probability we will, like last year, have a budget gap to close. The amount of new Council Tax income raised from new dwellings in Kent is much smaller than the gaps in funding that KCC typically needs to deal with.

The lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession on council spending and income remains unclear. This means that forecasting future years’ spending, income levels from service users and from residents and businesses is less reliable than we have been used to in previous years. Adding to this uncertainty, we do not yet have any indication from government on what our grant funding will be next year or their expectations regarding council tax increases (though we understand this should become available towards the end of October).

The government has traditionally set a maximum limit for Council Tax increases that can be introduced without holding a referendum. Last year this limit was 2% and the government has not yet confirmed what this limit will be for next year. An increase of just under 2% would add £28 per year (or 55 pence per week) to the KCC element of the bill for a typical band D property and take the total KCC element of Council Tax to £1,447.11 (or £27.82 per week). Such an increase would raise £15.6m per year towards the Council’s rising costs.

You can find more information about next year's budget on our Budget Consultation page. While the consultation closed on 19 September, the consultation document contains information about our funding and budget which you may find helpful.

The chargers located outside County Hall (Sessions House) in Maidstone are operated by Charge Your Car. These chargers are available for use by the public at evenings and weekends, but you would first need to register directly with CYC and apply for an RFID card. Their website is https://www.chargeyourcar.org.uk/ 

Council Tax bands are worked out based on the value of your property. The value is based on the price the property would have sold for on the open market on 1 April 1991. Valuations are made by the Valuation Office Agency, not Kent County Council.

The VOA assesses properties to ensure that they’re in the correct Council Tax band. They automatically assess some properties, for example when a property has been made smaller or when a property is newly built. The VOA also assesses properties when asked to do so, such as during a Council Tax appeal or band review. Assessments are based on a number of factors, such as a property’s:

- size
- layout
- character
- location
- change in use
- value on 1 April 1991

You can use their "Check your council tax band" service to find out the Council Tax band for a home in England or Wales by looking up its address or postcode. You can also challenge your Council Tax band if you think it’s wrong.

Allotments are handled by Maidstone Borough Council, Maidstone Allotments Management Committee or the Parish Council if they are Parish Allotments. The following links may help:

Maidstone Borough Council: https://maidstone.gov.uk/home/other-services/sports-and-leisure/tier-2-primary-areas/allotments

Maidstone Allotments Management Committee: http://www.maidstoneallotments.co.uk/index.html

This information is mainly on plots rather than a new site however there are contact details for you to request more information about Maidstone Allotments. You can contact the secretary by email admin@maidstoneallotments.co.uk, call 01622 664528 or visit their website (http://www.maidstoneallotments.co.uk/)

The process for reporting damage to street assets will depend on the item that is damaged and whether it is owned or managed by Kent County Council, the local district council or a private utilities company. 

If it's a Kent County Council owned asset (such as a road sign, illuminated bollard or streetlight), the best way to tell us about these sorts of problems is by using our online Fault Reporting tool, using the correct category for the specific damaged item (for example: "Signs - Road/traffic damaged/Missing).

Garden waste collections are managed by your district council. We recommend you contact your local council for details of garden waste collections in your area. District Council contact details can be found here.

Garden waste can also be taken to one of Kent County Council's household waste recycling sites. To visit one of our household waste recycling centres (HWRC) you must book a slot in advance.

You can report an abandoned vehicle to your local district or borough council. Here is the link to report: https://www.gov.uk/report-abandoned-vehicle

Nuisance parking problems are dealt with by your district council or the police.

If a vehicle is causing an obstruction to a pavement or grass verge and there are parking restrictions in place, please report the matter to your parking enforcement team at your local borough or district council. 

If there are no parking restrictions in place, you will need to report to Kent Police by calling 101. They are able to issue a fixed penalty fine or, where they consider it necessary, may even move the vehicle.

It's been business as usual for the soft landscapes team.

Grass in Kent is cut to a schedule set at the beginning of the year. We keep to the schedules quite closely and do not change the order of when verges are mowed. We are currently working on our 5th cut of the year which is progressing well. However there is more growth due to the warm, wet weather over the summer months. When we cut grass depends on where the grass is:

Rural grass - We cut a 900mm (3 foot) strip next to the road edge using a tractor mounted mower. We cut between May and September to maintain highway safety.

Urban grass - Grass located next to roads or footpaths, normally within the town or village centre and 30 mph limit. We cut between March and October (about once every 5 weeks) to maintain highway safety. In urban grass areas, we wait until 6 weeks after the flowering period before cutting spring flowers, such as daffodils, so they will grow the following year.

Visibility areas - Grass that is adjacent to a road junction and is within the sight line for drivers turning in or out. We cut between April and October (about every 2 months) to maintain highway safety.

We can’t provide a more specific response based on the information you provided in your question, but please use our Fault Reporting Tool if you are concerned about safety in the area.

Kent County Council is responsible for most of the roads in Kent except motorways and trunk roads, this includes the A2. Please visit Highways England to find out more information or Highways England Travel Updates.