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Reform Tax Promise

Saturday, 11 October 2025 12:17

By Martin Webber

There’s speculation that council tax in Kent will have to rise by the full 5 per cent allowed next year.

That’s despite pre-election promises by Reform UK to keep bills down.

A report this week in the Financial Times newspaper quoted Reform UK’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Diane Morton as saying that there was “more demand than ever before” and the council needed more money.

The Reform UK leader of Kent County Council Linden Kemkaren responded by insisting a decision will not be made on council tax rises until next month at the earliest. 

She said her administration had already found efficiency savings - including cutting £2.5million from its homes-to-school transport budget.

But the former leader of the county council, Conservative Sir Paul Carter, told the BBC this week that further council tax rises are inevitable due to the rising costs of school to home transport and social care.

 

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