Budget Consultation 2024-25

This consultation has concluded.

Update 1 November 2023

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to tell us their views. The Consultation Report is now available in the Documents section on this page.

Your responses will be considered by Councillors at their Cabinet Committee and Cabinet meetings taking place during November 2023 before the budget proposals are finalised and considered for approval by County Council in February 2024. 

We have been through an extraordinary period in the last few years with the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the significant economic turbulence, arising from international and national circumstances. We significantly overspent our budget last year, mainly on social care services for older people and children and we are seeing similar challenges in this current financial year, with a continuation of the increasing demand for and cost of providing services.  

As we respond to these challenges, it is even more important that the County Council (and indeed all public services) manage spending within the finances available, otherwise our budget will become unsustainable and threaten the viability of the services we provide. This will require action to reduce spending in the current year and tough choices about the priorities for the future. Since 2011 we have had to make savings of 67p in every £1 we currently spend.

Even with Council Tax increases, like in the previous 14 years, we will have to find further savings from reducing spending and/or increasing income. Without Council Tax increases these savings would have to be even greater.

Have your say

As we plan our spending for the year ahead, we need to hear your views on:

• our Council Tax proposals,
• whether we are prioritising resources in the right areas, and
• your suggestions for how we might find further savings.

Before you complete the consultation questionnaire we recommend that you read the Consultation Document which provides more information on our budget and Council Tax. 

And why not complete our short quiz, the answers may help inform your response to this consultation. 

Your responses will be considered by County Councillors at their Cabinet Committee meetings taking place throughout November 2023 before the budget proposals are finalised and considered for approval by County Council on 19 February 2024.

How we spend our annual revenue budget*

Over 80% (£1 billion) of the Council’s spending is on six key service areas:

*Excluding non attributable costs, eg. borrowing costs.

How we are funded

Council Tax currently funds 43% of our total spending budget (excluding schools). This increases to just over 67% if you exclude spending that is directly funded from the income from service users and grants provided for a specific purpose, so it is a significant funding source for the services we provide. 

Each year we set a budget to decide how much we're able to spend on services for Kent residents and businesses for the next financial year, compared to how much income we're likely to get from government and local taxation (Council Tax and Business Rates) to fund this.

For every £100 in funding we receive, this is how it is split between the different sources of income: